F1: Norris aims to close gap on Verstappen in Singapore Grand Prix

McLaren driver Lando Norris has expressed determination to reduce the points gap to Max Verstappen in the Formula One world championship standings ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Despite Verstappen’s current lead, Norris believes the title race is still open.

Norris pointed to McLaren’s recent strong performances, including their victory in Baku, highlighting the team’s ability to challenge Red Bull. While acknowledging Verstappen’s dominance earlier in the season, he noted that Red Bull’s form has dipped in recent races.

The British driver, who surged from 15th on the grid to finish fourth in Azerbaijan last week, has cut Verstappen’s lead to 59 points. With seven races and three sprints remaining, a total of 207 points are still up for grabs.

While McLaren has overtaken Red Bull by 20 points in the team standings, Norris admitted that the drivers’ championship remains in Verstappen’s control. “It’s still for him (Verstappen) to lose, not for me,” Norris said. “I’m still the one with nothing to lose.”

Verstappen, who won seven of the first 10 races this season, has not taken victory in the last seven events as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have shared wins. “At the beginning of the year, Red Bull were dominant,” Norris remarked. “They were beating us by bigger margins than we are beating them now. I believe they can turn things around quickly.”

Verstappen acknowledged that his performance in Baku was compromised by a poor qualifying setup. “You start at the back of the top group, and the balance wasn’t there in the race,” Verstappen explained. “You get stuck behind two cars, and it destroys your tyres.”

The Singapore Grand Prix, a notoriously unpredictable street circuit, presents unique challenges. Red Bull struggled at the venue last year, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz winning the race, though Sergio Perez delivered a strong performance in Singapore in 2022.

Norris’s McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, also underlined the team’s competitiveness by securing his second win of the season in Baku. Verstappen acknowledged McLaren’s recent edge, stressing the need for Red Bull to improve. “At the moment, they are very strong as a team,” said Verstappen. “We need to be better and make the car faster.”

As the Singapore Grand Prix approaches, Norris remains focused on challenging Verstappen’s supremacy, ready to seize any opportunity to make up ground in the title race.