Norris won't give way to Verstappen: 'I'm here for myself'

Lando Norris is in fourth place in the championship with seven races to go. The Briton was even on P3 for a long time, but he had to give it up to Valtteri Bottas. This place remains the goal of the McLaren driver, despite the great resistance.

McLaren seem to have taken a big step forward in 2021. Once again they are fighting for the third spot in the Constructors' standings, but the gap to the top of the championship has mainly shrunk. This was already clear with the 1-2 at Monza but is also reflected in Norris' fourth place in the standings.

Norris surprises with his performance

''Especially compared to Bottas and Perez, a lot of the season I'm already ahead of those two in the championship. When you're up against someone in a Mercedes, you don't assume you can compete with them. The same goes for someone in a Red Bull because realistically we don't have that good of a car yet,'' Norris said to Motorsport.com.

''It shows that we have had a very good season so far. Even in a slightly slower car, we've really got the maximum potential out of it. I didn't expect to be fourth in the championship. I think I still have a chance to finish third, so that is definitely the goal for the end of the season.

Verstappen gets no advantage

Norris is not concerned about the battle for the world title between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. While Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be serving their teammates, Norris will be trying to get the most out of his own car. He doesn't have to take the two title rivals into account.

''It doesn't matter to me that they are fighting for the championship. I drive for myself and if I can win a race I certainly won't let up and I'm not going to give that chance to anyone else, that's part of the game. I would never let them pass," concludes Norris. So his friend Verstappen doesn't have to count on any favours either.