Lando Norris has dismissed as “comedy” a reported claim by Max Verstappen that he could have secured the Formula 1 title earlier if he’d had the same McLaren car as Norris, his closest challenger.

LUSAIL, Qatar — Lando Norris disagrees with Max Verstappen’s belief he would have won the Formula One world championship earlier had he been driving a McLaren, saying the Dutchman “should start doing comedy or something.”

Lando Norris joked that Max Verstappen should go into comedy after the Red Bull driver claimed he would have won this year’s F1 world title sooner if he was driving in a McLaren. Verstappen sealed his fourth successive world championship in Las Vegas last weekend, with Norris now unable to catch him with two rounds remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris quipped Max Verstappen could have a great career as a comedian after claiming his F1 2024 title win would have come sooner in the McLaren. After a dominant start to the season for Max Verstappen,

Lando Norris has rubbished Max Verstappen’s claim that he would’ve won the F1 world championship 'sooner' if he drove a McLaren. Norris, 25, could not stop Verstappen, 27, from clinching his fourth successive F1 world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last Sunday.

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were among those who spoke on media day ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend - the penultimate race of the latter's Mercedes F1 career

It was only in Miami, where Norris took the first win of his Formula 1 career, that anything amounting to a “title fight” kicked off. His McLaren team had brought a comprehensive slate of upgrades to the Miami International Autodrome, and they worked much better than anyone had anticipated.