Fresh off a dominant victory in Singapore, Lando Norris heads into the 2024 United States Grand Prix with high hopes and a renewed sense of confidence. The McLaren driver, who reduced his championship deficit to Max Verstappen to 52 points, is now setting his sights on cutting that gap even further in Austin.
Speaking to the media ahead of the race weekend at Circuit of The Americas, Norris was asked if he felt the same level of confidence as he did in Singapore.
“Yeah, I think so—probably more, I would say,” Norris admitted. “If you look at where we were last year here with the car that we had, compared to Singapore, I think this was a better weekend for us. We led the first half of the race, even though some things were mixed up because of different scenarios, but it was a good weekend.”
Norris is optimistic about McLaren’s chances in Austin, especially given the team’s recent form and his own performance over the past few races. Despite the challenges of a resurfaced track and the Sprint race format, which will limit teams to just one practice session before Sprint qualifying, the Briton remains unfazed.
“Some things have changed on this track with the new surface, and some of the layout’s changed a little bit, so there are always questions for us to go and answer,” he noted. “But with how we performed last year, and how we’ve been performing over the last three, four, five races, I think we’re confident everywhere that we should be towards the top.”
The Sprint race format adds another layer of unpredictability to the weekend, but Norris views it as an opportunity rather than a hurdle. “I have no idea if it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing—I don’t think anyone does,” he said. “But it’s also a Sprint race where many things can happen, and it’s difficult to sometimes hit the ground running.”
With six races remaining, Norris faces the daunting task of outscoring Verstappen by an average of nine points per weekend to clinch the championship. Despite the uphill battle, he remains focused and determined.
“I’m confident if we just keep our heads down and keep pushing we can do it—we can close the gap,” he said. “But it’s not easy, and I need more than just me finishing first and Max second.”
For Norris, the focus is clear: keep delivering strong performances and let the rest of the season play out. “I just need to focus on myself and leave the rest to everyone else,” he concluded.
As the title race heats up, all eyes will be on Norris this weekend in Austin to see if he can continue his winning momentum and mount a serious challenge to Verstappen’s championship lead.
