Lando Norris has divulged where McLaren have the edge over Red Bull as he chases a remarkable comeback F1 title triumph.
McLaren driver Norris trails championship leader Max Verstappen by 52 points with six races and three sprint races remaining this season.
Norris has won two of the last four races to narrow the deficit to three-time F1 world champion Verstappen, while team-mate Oscar Piastri also won two weeks ago in Baku.
It means McLaren have overtaken Red Bull at the top of the constructors’ standings and Norris believes he can take the drivers’ title race down to the final race in Abu Dhabi on 8 December.
“I hope so,” when asked about taking the title race down to the wire, following his dominant win in Singapore on Sunday. “I still have a lot of points I’ve got to catch up and it’s not going to be easy to do it.
“It’s against Red Bull and it’s against Max, the most dominant pairing you’ve ever seen in Formula 1, from last year.
“It’s the same team and it’s the same driver. So, I have some of the toughest competition that Formula 1 has ever seen in the sport.”
Norris also detailed where he believes McLaren have found the edge, though their innovative “mini-DRS” rear-wing was modified after talks with the FIA last week.
“We are doing a better job as a team right now because my car and our car is quicker than theirs,” he said. “But that’s just credit to the team doing an amazing job and being smarter and doing cooler things and creating mini-DRS flaps and stuff.
“I’m working my heart out, I’m working my butt off, to try and make sure that happens. He’s trying to make sure it doesn’t happen. So we’ll have to wait and find out.”
Norris will have to put together an almighty run to claim his first world championship, having only won three races to Verstappen’s seven.
F1 returns following a four-week break with the United States Grand Prix in Austin on 18-20 October.
