Norris firm on Red Bull stance after F1 title failure

Lando Norris is defiant Red Bull would have emerged victorious in both F1 title fights last year if it had a second driver on Max Verstappen’s level.

Red Bull slipped to third place in the constructors’ standings last year despite Verstappen prevailing for his fourth drivers’ title.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit was held back by Sergio Perez’s poor run of form, with the Mexican scoring just 49 points in the last 18 rounds of the season.

It was McLaren that came out on top in the constructors’ fight as it clinched its first teams’ title in 26 years.

However, Norris has conceded McLaren’s effort was aided by Red Bull’s unstable driver line-up.

“Red Bull probably would have won the constructors’ if they had two drivers as good as Max,” Norris told media including RacingNews365. “That’s for sure.

“It’s clear and obvious. It shows as a team, they’ve still probably done the best job.

“It’s tough, Max has proved that everyone he has gone up against, he’s beaten. That’s tough for any team-mate he has had.”

Red Bull opted to part ways with Perez at the end of the season, promoting Liam Lawson to replace the 34-year-old for the upcoming campaign.

However, Norris is unbothered by the driver situation at Red Bull, concluding: “It’s got nothing to do with me, I don’t care.

“He can have whoever he wants as a team-mate.”