Lando Norris’s title hopes took another hit at the 2024 United States Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver leaving Austin even further adrift of Max Verstappen in the championship battle. Entering the weekend 52 points behind the reigning champion, Norris saw that gap widen to 57 points after finishing fourth in Sunday’s race, despite starting from pole.
The weekend began with promise for Norris, who finished third in Saturday’s sprint behind Verstappen, but Sunday’s main race proved to be a bitter disappointment. Verstappen finished third behind the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, while Norris had to settle for fourth after a controversial penalty for overtaking Verstappen off-track.
Reflecting on the race, Norris didn’t hold back his frustration. “It’s a momentum killer,” he admitted when asked about the impact on his championship chances. “We came in with an open mind, not expecting to dominate, but Ferrari was so quick today, and it showed they’re just as competitive.”
Norris acknowledged that even if he had led into Turn 1, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome significantly. “Even if I came around turn one in first, I would never have finished first or second. The one guy I need to beat is Max, and that’s the guy I didn’t beat today.”
Despite McLaren’s ongoing lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings by 40 points, Ferrari is closing the gap, making the final five rounds of the season even more critical for Norris and his team. “It was a non-successful weekend, all in all. But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough, and we have work to do, and I have work to do myself.”
Norris and Verstappen clashed twice during the race, most notably at the start when the Briton was forced wide, losing three places, and again near the end when Norris passed the Red Bull but was handed a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off-track. The penalty dropped him from third to fourth, further dampening his weekend.
“I respect the battle that we had,” Norris said. “It was a good one, it was enjoyable, it was respectful. But I didn’t do a good enough job. If I defended better in turn one and wasn’t driving like a muppet, then I should have led after turn one, and we shouldn’t have had this conversation in the first place.”
With five races left and the championship gap widening, Norris faces an uphill battle. The task of beating Verstappen by an average of eight points per race weekend has become even steeper, but the Briton remains focused on improving his performance.
