"You can't say that Red Bull were struggling": Lando Norris not surprised by Max Verstappen's surge in form in recent races

Lando Norris believes Red Bull’s struggles this season, including at Singapore, have been exaggerated. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, after qualifying, the McLaren driver felt Max Verstappen was strong last year and could have clinched pole this year.

In 2024, Verstappen qualified second behind Norris, but in his dominant 2023 season, he started fifth. At this track, Norris had also beaten the Dutchman by a commanding 20-second margin, highlighting Singapore as an Achilles heel for Red Bull. Since Monza, where Red Bull introduced upgrades, they have won two races, and Singapore was seen as a true test of those improvements. This year, Red Bull topped every session, including qualifying, where Verstappen secured second place ahead of both McLarens.

Lando Norris pointed to the difference compared to 2024 qualifying and felt the team’s struggles have been overstated. He believes Red Bull has always been strong and has improved their car, and that their performance this weekend was not a surprise to him or McLaren. He added that he expected them to be on pole and noted that while they have had tough races, they are back to their winning ways.

Asked by Sportskeeda if Red Bull had worked around their struggles at the Singapore GP, Lando Norris said:

“But there were second no in quali, one tenth off me. Tough isn't it? I'm four tenths off pole. It must mean my car is four times worse than Max is last year, so I feel like we're doing a good job.”

Further probed if their form this weekend proves the upgrades on their car have worked, given that this circuit was their litmus test, he replied:

“I don't think that at all. I think they've improved in a lot of places this season. They've improved in Monza with some of those upgrades. They've not been bad this year. Like people keep talking so much downly about Red Bull. They've been very strong. Most of the year, there's been a few tougher races for them. But they' also Red Bull. As soon as they even improved that little area, they're quick. So it's not a surprise. It's not a shock to anyone. It's not a shock to us. I expect them to be probably on pole today, honestly, from their pace yesterday. But I also expected from where they were last year. Like they were fighting for pole, and if it wasn't for me, he would have won the race. So you can't say that they were struggling, they were just not quite as quick as us, another quicker.”

Norris also predicted George Russell to take the checkered flag at the Singapore GP.

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Lando Norris predicts George Russell to win the Singapore GP, but laments Red Bull's complaints

Lando Norris believes George Russell is the strong contender for the Singapore GP win. He felt that the Mercedes driver had more to lose than anyone else in the race. The McLaren driver felt that he had nothing to worry about. But he rued his chances to overtake, given the limited opportunities at the Marina Bar circuit. He was unbothered about the points or the fifth place. However, he expressed his disappointment at his own performance, which cost him a better result.

Lando Norris had a moment at the end of the race where he slowed down when Max Verstappen was on a quicker lap. It led to the Dutchman having to slow down to avoid turbulence from the car ahead. The four-time world champion lamented losing a pole position due to the McLaren driver. When asked about the matter by journalists, before completing the sentence, the Briton dismissed the question, accusing Red Bull of complaining all the time.

Asked if beating Piastri remained his goal for the race, Lando Norris replied:

“It's just I mean, it's just points, you know, I've got fifth, so not a lot of points, and, yeah, I'm behind the people I need to be behind. But yeah, we got nothing. We've got nothing to worry about. I just got to try and get my head down. It's not an easy track to ever take on. So, yeah, that's why today's a bit frustrating, of course, and I'm not the happiest about today from my own performance. But yeah, this has got no one to worry about, you know, if anyone's got to do anything to worry about, it's George, because he's very quick today, it's been the whole weekend, and he'll easily win tomorrow.”

Asked about Max Verstappen complaining after qualifying, Lando Norris said:

“They always complain they complain about everything. That’s Red Bull”

Asked what had happened on the final lap, he replied:

“I don’t even know.”

Lando Norris currently sits second in the Drivers’ Championship with 299 points, 25 behind teammate Oscar Piastri and 44 ahead of Max Verstappen. However, Verstappen has recently emerged as an outside contender for the title, which had largely been a two-horse race within McLaren. Norris’s unfortunate retirement in the previous round handed valuable points to both his teammate and the Red Bull driver. In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren has a chance to secure the title by the end of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend if both drivers finish inside the top ten. The team leads with 623 points, 333 clear of Mercedes, 337 ahead of Ferrari, and 351 in front of Red Bull.