Lando Norris has taken aim at Sergio Pérez! The McLaren driver lost the world championship during the Las Vegas Grand Prix to rival Max Verstappen. The Briton graciously accepts defeat, but wants to point out that Pérez’s performance this year was far from impressive. While Norris frequently clashed with teammate Oscar Piastri, Verstappen always had the advantage of being the lead driver.
“There are certainly areas where Max (Verstappen) is truly phenomenal,” said Lando Norris in the run-up to the Qatar Grand Prix to the assembled media. “That being said, he obviously didn’t have a teammate who could challenge him in any way. That obviously makes his life a lot easier.” With 403 points, Verstappen is the undisputed champion. Teammate Sergio Pérez, who had the same RB20 at his disposal last year, has a total of 152 points, keeping him in eighth place for now.
“Verstappen therefore experiences no pressure,” Norris continued. “He doesn’t have to engage in a battle within his own team, he doesn’t have to beat anyone. That naturally provides some comfort. Of course, there are pros and cons to both situations, and he (Verstappen) did manage to pull it off. But at the same time, he was missing someone who could push him and someone who could try different things with the car.
Constructors’ Championship
“I’m sure Max Verstappen would say that he doesn’t care who his teammate is,” Norris continued. “As I said, there are pros and cons to both situations. However, I do hope for him that at some point a teammate will come along who can challenge him more. Besides, Red Bull probably would have won the constructors’ championship if they had two drivers as good as Max,” Norris added with a wink.
Over the past few months, Red Bull has slipped to third place in the championship. As the final two races approach, the Austrians still have a chance at the title, although it seems more likely that Ferrari or McLaren will take the prize. Meanwhile, the future of Pérez is uncertain. He himself is convinced that he will be allowed to fulfill his contract with Red Bull, but there are also rumors that he will be replaced by one of the Visa RB talents, namely Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda.
