Lando Norris told to be more like Max Verstappen as McLaren blamed over Red Bull rows

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Speaking to Mirror Sport, former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard shared his theory as to why Lando Norris and McLaren have fallen short in their drivers’ title bid

Lando Norris and McLaren will bounce back better and stronger next year in their bid to land a first Formula 1 title for 17 years.

But the Woking-based team will be kicking themselves that they did not deliver this season after being slow off the mark in realising they were genuine championship contenders. That is the view of F1 legend David Coulthard, who finished runner-up with McLaren behind Michael Schumacher in the 2001 title race.

Max Verstappen leads by 62 points with four races to go and can win his fourth-straight title in Las Vegas on November 24 after being pushed hard all season by gritty Norris. Coulthard, an analyst for Channel 4, told the Sunday Mirror: “McLaren have been schooled this year. They were maybe a little bit slow to realise just how brilliant a job they have done.

“You could tell from some of their early decisions earlier in the year, it was tentative, it was waiting a lap. It was just, ‘Oh my god, we are in the hunt, we are ahead of schedule, we expected to be there in 2025 or ’26’. They have now re-established themselves as a world championship contending team.”

McLaren last won the driver championship in 2008 when Lewis Hamilton led them to victory on track with Ron Dennis in charge. Now American Zak Brown is leading the next generation and Coulthard believes that title race rust played a part in Norris falling short.

The Scot added: “McLaren will be a much stronger overall competitor next year, as will Lando. They have got the speed and they have got the technical skills, I think it is just about understanding who you are fighting. Lando is fighting Max, and Max does not care about anything other than trying to win – you must have that same attitude.”

Verstappen drew criticism in Mexico last month after picking up 20 seconds’ worth of penalties for running Norris off the road. But a week later, after Verstappen’s remarkable win from 17th on the grid in Brazil, conversation moved on from the Dutchman’s controversial driving standards and on to the elite standard of his driving.

Coulthard compares the Red Bull star to the likes of Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, who despite their brilliance were also known for their aggressive moves on track. While he is certain that the McLaren man is “the real deal”, he thinks Norris is missing something compared to the man he is trying to beat. And he believes McLaren’s complaints about Verstappen’s driving may be doing them more harm than good.

Coulthard explained: “To me, it is actually part of the brilliance of these exceptional drivers – they constantly push up against what people consider to be the accepted norm. Michael, Ayrton, whoever else that was on the edge of defining what is acceptable, they come along and redefine.

“I see human beings like batteries – we start the day with 100 percent, and you deploy your energy in the best way you can to get your achievements out of the day. Someone like Max does not deploy any energy worrying about what people think of him, and those who spend a lot of time deploying energy complaining about him just have less energy available to go out and try and beat him.”

Watch highlights of the Las Vegas GP on Channel 4 on Sunday, November 24.