Norris: Verstappen “Was born” for F1, Difficult to Reach Him

Lando Norris has stated that reaching Max Verstappen’s level is “almost impossible”, highlighting the advantage that the Red Bull driver has for having grown up in the world of Formula 1. Verstappen, who has achieved consecutive victories in Monza and Baku, has resurfaced in the fight for the championship. Currently, he is 69 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, with 199 points still at stake in the last seven races. Norris, for his part, leads Verstappen by 44 points. Verstappen’s family background, with his father Jos competing in 106 races and his mother Sophie Kumpen having a distinguished karting career, gave him a significant advantage. Verstappen debuted in F1 at 17 years old. Norris, anticipating the Singapore Grand Prix, commented: “I don’t want to say or believe that I will ever be as good as Max because I think it’s wrong to tell myself that.”

He’s one of the best drivers in Fórmula 1, so if someone tells you ‘Yes, (they’ll be as good as Verstappen)’, tell them to go to hell. Any driver in the world can be confident in saying that, but I think it’s almost impossible.

Lando Norris

Norris added: “I think sometimes I am better than him. I think my teammate is sometimes better. But what’s impressive is his consistency.”

Norris won’t be drawn on F1 title fight questions Norris emphasized Verstappen’s consistency, who always maintains a high level, even on his less outstanding days. “It’s difficult to beat someone who was born in an F1 seat,” he added. Norris also mentioned that, if he could go back in time, he would have wished to have pilot parents and to have started his career from a young age, with more testing and experience in karting. In the previous race in Azerbaijan, Norris failed to capitalize on the opportunity to reduce Piastri’s lead, his McLaren teammate, due to a qualifying accident and a collision on the first lap. Norris, who started from seventh position, could only score six points, maintaining the difference in the championship. Regarding the criticism received for his performance in Azerbaijan, Norris stated: “I don’t read social media. I don’t know if the press has been good or bad to me, if they have criticized or praised me, I really don’t care.” Norris concluded by saying that he doesn’t know what is said about Piastri and is not aware of the reactions to his accident.