Lando Norris believes he can snap back from missing out on the world championship by fighting for the title next season.
The Briton missed out to Max Verstappen, who secured the prize for the fourth consecutive time in Las Vegas at the weekend with two rounds of the season remaining.
It was a disappointment to Norris after he briefly threatened to overhaul the Dutchman in a fast McLaren. But he is now 63 points behind him with 60 on offer across Qatar on Sunday and Abu Dhabi the following week.
‘I feel like I can fight for a world championship,’ said Norris. ‘I can say that confidently now. I have what it takes. Next year we will go into the season with a car we think can win the championship from the first race, and I am very excited about that.
‘I have some things to work on but I can fight Max. He is the best driver in the world and one of the best drivers there has ever been in Formula One.
‘I am proud of how the championship went. The championship was lost in the first six races when Max dominated. He opened up a big gap that was just too much to claw back.
‘He deserves the championship but hopefully I can upset him next year.’
That upbeat assessment comes as Verstappen contended he would still have won the title in Norris’s car. The McLaren has been superior to the Red Bull since Miami in May, when Norris won his first grand prix. His, and his team’s, mistakes have since cost him dearly, and he has won just twice more, in the Netherlands and Singapore.
‘I could have won the championship even earlier,’ said Verstappen, when asked about his chances in a McLaren. ‘With the Ferrari, pretty much the same. The Mercedes? No. That would have been trickier.’
Verstappen’s claims are valid. It is McLaren who lead the constructors’ standings by 24 points from Ferrari. Red Bull are only third, a further 29 back.
Meanwhile, a new team called Cadillac F1 is set to become the 11th member of the grid from 2026 after their application was provisionally accepted.
They will initially be powered by Ferrari engines before General Motors build their own power unit for 2028.
