Max Verstappen dishes out stern Lando Norris warning as Brit told how he can win F1 title
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are locked into an intense title battle with seven races remaining.
Max Verstappen has warned Lando Norris that his team will need a ‘nearly perfect’ end to the season if Red Bull can turn their results around over the coming races. The reigning champions are in a worrying vein of form but are optimistic about an upcoming upgrade package.
Verstappen travels to Singapore this weekend without a win in his last seven Grands Prix after labouring to a P5 finish around the streets of Baku on Sunday. During this period, the three-time world champion has stood on the podium just two times.
This barren run has allowed title rival Norris to close in and despite starting the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 15th on the grid, the Brit still recovered to finish ahead of Verstappen on the racetrack, gaining three points thanks to his successful fastest lap attempt.
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With the gap now down to 59 points and seven races remaining, Verstappen sent a warning to his title rival. “Of course, I would have liked to extend the gap,” he said in Baku.
“But, yeah, with our race today, I'm still happy that it was only that.” The Dutchman then went on to add: “I think if we do a better job ourselves, they [McLaren] need to have a perfect end to the year."
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Red Bull now find themselves in a precarious position in the Constructors’ Championship. Sergio Perez’s DNF on the penultimate lap in Baku increased the size of the points swing, allowing McLaren to move 20 clear of their Milton Keynes-based rivals.
Christian Horner’s outfit are also under pressure from Ferrari, who were unfortunate not to have both drivers on the podium after Carlos Sainz made contact with Perez. Fortunately for the Brit, both he and Verstappen can look forward to a major upgrade package when the United States Grand Prix rolls around.
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“We believe from Austin onwards that we have a package that should make us more or even really competitive,” Helmut Marko revealed to Viaplay. “But we have to wait till Austin. We have to see what happens in Singapore. But at least we lost three points. That's okay.”
Verstappen is now faced with a weekend of damage limitation in Singapore, where he has had a tumultuous time over the past couple of years. Both Red Bull cars were eliminated in Q2 around the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2023, so avoiding a repeat of that is the first priority.
