Lando Norris says he is looking forward to competing against two multiple world champions at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren driver Norris will start today’s race from pole position, ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I have a lot of respect for those guys,” said Norris, who has two wins to his rivals’ 166.
“I’ve looked up to both of them, literally and spiritually, for a long time.”
Norris had contact with Verstappen while battling for the lead in Austria earlier this year, but sitting with both drivers at the FIA press conference yesterday, Norris said he expected them both to run cleanly on track.
“I’ve seen them drive so I know what to expect a bit more from them. I think they both drive with respect and they both want to drive as clean racing drivers, so I’m always looking forward to it.”
“I think we had some great battles in Austria, whatever the result. We had some great battles on the other tracks too.”
Norris said the fact he’s fighting for the championship this year “doesn’t change anything” in his approach to racing: “They’re going to pull more tricks, or… maybe they’re smarter than the other drivers and know how to play the long game and the short game better. I just have more respect for it and enjoy being here with two of the greats of the sport.”
The McLaren driver took his sixth career pole position yesterday, a week after an unlucky qualifying session in Azerbaijan where he was eliminated in Q1 by an untimely yellow flag, and Norris said he had put that frustration out of his mind ahead of yesterday’s qualifying.
“I worked exactly the same way last week, giving it my all. It’s just that other circumstances didn’t result in the way that I wanted it to. But I try not to worry too much about it.”
“Last Saturday night and into Sunday, I just focused on the next race and did what I needed to do, so I feel like I’m performing well.”
“I had a really good run in Baku, I was fast all weekend, so I felt I was definitely capable of fighting for the podium or even the win, but that didn’t happen. But I gave it my all that day and I’ll try to do the same tomorrow.”
Category: F1 / Lando Norris / McLaren F1 Team / F1 Singapore Grand Prix
