Lando Norris does not think he will play a major role in the title fight this Formula 1 season. The Brit had the momentum briefly on his side when he won the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix back to back. However, in Monza it became clear again for the McLaren driver where he stands compared to the dominant Mercedes: “George is the one who has the best chance to put pressure on Kimi,” he says. “I wish him the best of luck with that.”
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Lando Norris is the only non-Mercedes driver to have won two Grand Prix races this year. After the race at Zandvoort, the Brit was briefly tipped as a title contender. Norris was able to secure some championship points with his fourth place in Monza, but according to the McLaren driver, it is not enough for a serious title defense.
Norris leaves the title fight to fellow countryman George Russell. “George is thirty points ahead of me, so I think he is still the one who has the best chance to put pressure on Kimi,” the reigning world champion says in Madrid. “We have achieved two wins in a row, so the car performs well on some circuits. But as I said, the car is not as good everywhere as it should be. And the only one who has a car as good as Kimi’s is George. So I wish George the best of luck in his fight against Kimi.”
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‘Kimi has simply done better’
Of course, Russell himself was also asked in Madrid about his remaining title chances. In Monza, he suffered a blow when his teammate, who started at the back, overtook him in the final phase for the win. “I don’t want to fool myself, the reality is that my teammate has done better than me this year,” he says. “I definitely need some luck and I have to deliver some good performances.”
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