Norris finding it ‘motivating’ to race Verstappen as he insists his approach to championship fight is ‘working’

Lando Norris is finding it “motivating” to race against Max Verstappen as the championship fight between the two continues to play out, with the pair having gone wheel-to-wheel during recent race weekends.

The battle took another turn last time out in Mexico after Verstappen received two 10-second time penalties following incidents with Norris before finishing the race in sixth place. Norris, meanwhile, crossed the line in second, meaning that he reduced Verstappen’s lead to 47 points.

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Reflecting back on last weekend ahead of the final round of the triple header in Sao Paulo, Norris commented: “It was a good weekend. The race itself, of course different things happened and I’m just happy we made it to the end of the race.

“It was a strong race with good race pace, and reassuring coming into another weekend that we have that pace comparing to Ferrari. Nothing else changes, just heads down and hope for another good one.”

In terms of how he intends to fight Verstappen going forwards – and what their relationship is like now – Norris added: “I think the same, I’ve not spoken to him. I saw him this morning, we smiled. For me, it’s the same, it doesn’t change.”

And when pushed on whether being in such a close battle with the Red Bull driver is exhausting or motivating, the Briton said: “I’m always excited to race Max, I’ve always looked forward to it. I’ve looked forward to it for years now.

“I think it’s motivating. It’s more motivating that it’s fighting for a win more than anything. In the times that it is a fair battle, it’s always enjoyable. It’s something I always look forward to.”

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While much talk has surrounded the fight for the championship – in what is Norris’s first charge for the drivers’ title – the McLaren man insists that he does not think too much about the fact that this is what he is battling for.

“I don’t think of it so much in that way,” he explained. “I stop myself thinking of it, more than anything, because I don’t think it’s a good thing – it doesn’t help me.

“At the end of the year, maybe I’ll think of it and be proud I’m in the fight and I’m doing my best. At the moment, I’m just focusing on what is good for me, one race at a time, one session at a time, because it’s working and we’re performing well, so I’ll continue to do that until the end I’m sure.”

Over in the constructors’ championship, McLaren are facing increasing competition from Ferrari, with the Scuderia now only 29 points behind the Woking outfit at the top.

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Norris has reiterated that the team are not worried about the possibility of that title slipping away from them despite Ferrari’s recent strong form, with the 24-year-old saying: “It’s not a concern, we’re working hard. We said since over 10 races ago that our focus is not on Red Bull, it’s on Ferrari.

“It doesn’t change anything. They have two very strong drivers, they have a very quick car – it’s up to us to keep pushing hard and doing our best.”