Lando norris mocks 'silly' max verstappen claim as lewis hamilton point made

OSCAR PIASTRI LEADS THE F1 CHAMPIONSHIP BUT LANDO NORRIS HAS NARROWED THE GAP IN RECENT WEEKS WHILE MAX VERSTAPPEN ALSO REMAINS A THREAT DESPITE MCLAREN'S DOMINANCE 16:15, 29 May 2025

Lando Norris insists it would be "silly" to assume McLaren have got both Formula 1 championships sewn up. Only a spectacular collapse would see them fail to retain their

teams' title, with McLaren already enjoying a 172-point advantage over nearest challengers Mercedes heading into the Spanish Grand Prix. But things are much tighter in the hunt for

individual honours with Max Verstappen applying the pressure. Oscar Piastri is still in the lead but Norris is only three points behind after his Monaco win, while Verstappen has won twice

this year and is just 22 points further back. "If you think it's just out of me and Oscar, then I think you're a bit silly," said Norris of that situation. No-one else is

yet in triple figures in terms of points, with George Russell on 99 and both Ferrari drivers more than 80 adrift of Piastri. But Norris believes Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could

still threaten if they build on the form shown in Monaco last weekend, while explaining why Verstappen continues to worry him. The Brit said: "I think there are plenty of opportunities.

Max can still win. Ferrari, I expect them to get better through the season. SIGN UP TO OUR FREE WEEKLY F1 NEWSLETTER, PIT LANE CHRONICLE, BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW SO THAT EVERY

NEW EDITION LANDS STRAIGHT IN YOUR INBOX! Article continues below "But come on, we're racing Max every weekend. He's been on the podium several times. He has won races, he

beat us in Imola fair and square because he was quicker. So I don't know what possibly makes you think that it's only out of me and Oscar." Norris came into the season as the

bookies' favourite for the drivers' title. That was based on McLaren being widely expected to be the team to dominate the early rounds of the campaign, and the fact the Brit was

Verstappen's closest challenger in the drivers' title race last year. READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds' F1 team bids to emulate Wrexham success with 2026 race win promiseREAD MORE:

Lewis Hamilton's fate uncertain as Charles Leclerc repeats Ferrari concern It all began smoothly with a win from pole in Melbourne but then the wins dried up. His Monaco success last

weekend was only Norris' second Grand Prix victory of 2025, having been hampered by some poor qualifying form which opened the door for team-mate Piastri to assume control of the

championship. With that in mind, the 25-year-old said he was happier to have secure pole position than the win itself in Monaco. He heads into this weekend's Barcelona race hoping to

replicate that effort in qualifying but not, he insists, with any thought of the title race in his mind. Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package This article contains affiliate

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Discovery+. Norris said: "Like I say, always, it's a great feeling to be in the lead of the championship and to have more points than everyone. But it's not something I look

at. It's not something that changes anything I do day-to-day. Article continues below "It doesn't change how hard I work or what I try to achieve. I'll just try and win

this weekend, and I'll try and win in Montreal, and I'll try and win in Austria. It's got nothing to do with what position I am [in]."