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Lando Norris has blamed himself for his loss to Max Verstappen in the US GP, which – he said – affected him a lot in his battle for this year’s Formula 1 drivers’ title.
McLaren’s momentum from May to September was cut short at the Texas GP, 19th out of 24 this season, as the English team had no answers for Ferrari or Red Bull. And now Lando Norris says it was a blow to his hopes of winning this year’s Formula 1 championship.
Before the three-day race in Texas the gap separating Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship was 52 points. But Verstappen’s win in the Austin sprint race, along with the Dutchman’s 3rd place finish in the main GP ahead of Norris, increased it to 57 points.
When asked how much this three-day period affected his hopes for this year’s title, Norris replied: “Enough. He cut us off. But we came here not expecting to dominate, or anything like that. Her speed Ferrari proved to be just as competitive.
Even if I had turned first after the start, I could never have finished in first or second place. Only on the third. The only driver I should have beaten was Max, and I didn’t.
So it was a failed three days, all in all. But we fought it well. I tried. Not good enough, but we have work to do, and I have work to do with myself.”added the 25-year-old Briton.
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in their duel at the first corner of the US GP
AP PHOTO/ERIC GAY
On his battle with Max Verstappen, which ended in the Dutchman’s favor when Norris was given a five-minute penalty for exceeding the track limits when he passed the Red Bull, the Briton said: “I think Max drove very well. It’s very difficult to do what we do, and very difficult to be side-by-side with another car, and on the wrong side of the track, to accurately calculate the braking point.
You’ve used the battery, and the tires are old. The rough spots of the asphalt are different. It has enough dirt on the track. We fight hard, so I respect the battle we had. It was a good fight. She was delightful.
It’s just that we didn’t come out on top because I didn’t do a good enough job. If I had defended better in Turn 1 (after the start) and not driven like a puppet, I would have been in the lead after Turn 1 and now we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”Lando Norris concluded.
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