Lando Norris has warned Max Verstappen he is ready to get his “elbows out” after admitting he was made to look like an “idiot” during their championship battle last year.
Norris, 25, fell short in his quest to take his maiden crown after Red Bull’s Verstappen saw off his challenge to land his fourth title in a row with three rounds remaining.
Norris and Verstappen clashed on track on multiple occasions as the latter guarded the championship lead he established after winning seven of the opening 10 races.
But speaking at the launch of the McLaren he hopes will propel him to title glory, Norris said: “I need to get my elbows out (against Verstappen) and show I am not willing to give him any positions. I also have to be a smart driver. You have to be smart to go up against Max.
“It is always a lot harder when you are in the car, rather than when you rewatch it, and when I saw some of the things I did last year, I was like, ‘what the hell have I done that for? And what an idiot.’
“But at the same time, I don’t need to go out and prove something to him. I don’t need to take any unnecessary risks. I don’t think you have to do anything special to try and beat Max. He is quick, aggressive and one of the best ever but the easiest way of beating him is just by being quicker than him and staying ahead.”
Norris’ McLaren team started last season slowly before an upgrade at the fifth round in Miami radically reversed their fortunes and allowed the Briton to take his first win. By that stage, Norris was already 53 points behind Verstappen.
Norris attempted to claw back the deficit as Red Bull’s supremacy vanished and McLaren emerged with the best package on the grid. But his bid for the title ran out of steam following mistakes by both driver and team.
Norris, who completed a number of laps during a rain-hit promotional filiming event at Silverstone on Thursday, continued: “For the majority of races, we had a better car.
“I can happily admit that and there were times where I did not do a good enough job. I wasn’t at the level to race against Max at the beginning. But we are talking about going up against one of the hardest attacking-defence guys out there.
“In Mexico (where Verstappen was penalised twice for driving Norris off the road), he was ready to sacrifice himself for the overall outcome, and when that is the mentality of a driver, whether it is Max or anyone else, it is very difficult to get on top in the championship when you are behind. There was no way I could have come back from that deficit.
“But I have to do better, and I don’t need to be told that. However, it will be a different mentality for Max if he is 50 points behind in the championship, versus being 50 ahead.”
Despite missing out on the drivers’ crown, Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri steered McLaren to their first constructors’ title since 1998. With only minor changes to the rulebook over the winter, Norris has been installed by the bookmakers as the favourite to win the title ahead of the first round in Melbourne on March 16.
“I like that I have that pressure on my back but I am not feeling it,” added Norris. “I hope I can go out and make them some money.”
