LANDO NORRIS FIRES WARNING TO MAX VERSTAPPEN AS MCLAREN TARGET 'THE NEXT STEP'

Lando Norris is brimming with confidence as he asserts that McLaren will "100 per cent" be in the running for the title next season aftre his victory at the Miami Grand Prix.

The young British driver, who celebrated his first Formula One triumph in Florida, sees the win as a testament to McLaren's upward trajectory, marking their first finish atop the podium in nearly three years.

Currently positioned fourth in the drivers' standings and trailing behind the three-time world champion Max Verstappen by 53 points, Norris remains optimistic about closing the gap into 2025.

With McLaren sitting third in the constructors' rankings, Norris, speaking to Sky Sports F1, expressed unwavering belief in his team's potential: "100 per cent. I am saying that still with my feet on the ground. I want to believe that we have two great drivers. We have an amazing team behind us and we are closer than ever.

"As much as I said at the beginning of this year we can win races, I should have the confidence to say next year we can go for the next step."

After extending his celebrations in Miami, Norris returned to the McLaren Technology Centre to revel in the victory with the entire team. He acknowledges the current gap to Red Bull and Ferrari but remains confident of further triumphs this season.

"We still have work to do, we are not at the level they are just yet," Norris admitted.

"On average we are not quite where we want to be. We still have our feet on the ground, we know we have more work to do. As soon as they've all had a little drink this morning I'm going to tell them to get back to work so we can keep fighting even more!

"If there is any race I want to have the same speed it is at Silverstone. We can win races this year, we can compete against Red Bull and we are looking at an exciting season between us, Red Bull and Ferrari."

2024-05-09T12:40:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd