As the Qatar GP approaches, Lando Norris continues to lead the championship. This is a stark contrast to the previous year when Max Verstappen had already clinched the title in Las Vegas. The reigning world champion had then promised Norris that ‘his time would come’. “What I said last year, I meant,” Verstappen reflects a season later.
The title battle between Max Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers continues in Qatar, following the Dutchman’s victory on the streets of Las Vegas. This is a contrast to the situation a year ago when Verstappen had already secured his fourth world title in the same city. Lando Norris had finished second in the championship behind the Red Bull driver, but Verstappen reassured him that ‘his time would come’. “I told him, ‘I know you can win the title’,” Verstappen revealed at the time.
Transformation in Norris
A year later, it increasingly appears that Norris has a real chance of proving Verstappen right this year. According to the Dutchman, the McLaren driver has changed. “Lately, the weekends seem to be going really well for him. So yes, in that sense, it’s definitely a bit different,” Verstappen said in Las Vegas. “Every year you grow as a driver through past mistakes, or through weekends where you think you could have done better. And that applies to everyone, it’s not specifically Lando in this case.”
The reigning world champion does not retract his words from a season earlier. “What I said last year, I meant, it’s that simple. I didn’t lie about anything, that’s very clear this season. Sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for your moment.”
