Norris admits he is a Formula 1 “momentum killer” in the Verstappen hunt

Lando Norris has admitted his result at the United States Grand Prix is ​​a “momentum killer” for his championship hopes.

The McLaren driver’s chances of taking over the championship lead from Max Verstappen increased after he claimed pole position on Saturday.

However, Norris finished the race in fourth place after receiving a five-second time penalty for overtaking his rival Verstappen off track late.

The penalty promoted Verstappen to third and allowed the Dutchman to increase his lead over Norris in the standings to 57 points with five laps to go.

When asked how damaging the result was for his title hopes, Norris told the media, among other things RacingNews365: “More like a little bit. It’s a momentum killer.

“But we came here with an open heart and didn’t expect to dominate and just win or anything.”

Norris was convinced that victory at the US GP was not possible

Ferrari prevailed at the US Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc taking the lead on the first lap before dominating the race.

Despite losing position from pole position in the first stage of the race, Norris claimed that he would not have prevailed even if he had been in the lead at the end of the first lap.

“The fact that Ferrari were so quick today showed that they are just as competitive,” he said.

“Even if I had come through Turn 1 first, I would never have been first or second, just third.

“The only guy I have to beat is Max, and that’s the guy I didn’t beat today. All in all it was an unsuccessful weekend.

“But we tried well, I tried. It wasn’t good enough and we still have a lot of work to do and I have to work on myself.”