Altitude sickness, it seems, comes in several forms. And here at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodgriguez, 7,500ft above sea level, Lando Norris is struggling with the rarefied air he breathes near Formula One’s summit.
With astonishing candour, he spoke in the build-up to Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix of how Max Verstappen is the greatest driver in the world while he is merely learning.
Well, in qualifying neither of them was the best, pole instead seized by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. But, in a Red Bull that is hardly brilliant, Verstappen qualified nine-tenths of second ahead of Norris. They start second and third.
‘I’m really happy with that,’ said the Briton, again breezy despite a less-than-super afternoon.
Norris’s earlier admission of inferiority to Verstappen was a ridiculously negative comment. So much so that one team principal privately likened it to a ‘retirement speech’.
Norris is 24 and hopes he has plenty of road to run. However, it must be pointed out, that chances to win the world title do not often come up more than once in a lifetime, if at all.
This is why it was so important that Norris stamped his mark on qualifying here to claim his third consecutive pole. He couldn’t, though at least he wasn’t 17th fastest like Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren.
From 57 points back with 146 remaining across this afternoon’s race, Brazil next week, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the possibility remains that Norris in a McLaren significantly better than the Red Bull can prevail in what he has practically written off as mission impossible. He must believe in it and himself and show a fighting mentality as he charges off the line today on the 900-yard stretch to the opening bend.
He has a new floor this weekend, an emblem of McLaren’s unremitting quest to win, primarily, the constructors’ title for the first time this century. They hold a 40-point lead over Red Bull. That gap spells trouble for Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez, the local favourite whose picture appears on every billboard.
The Mexican, admittedly in a regularly difficult car, has markedly underperformed this season, and his qualifying performance was a shambles: he did not even make it out of Q1, setting only the third slowest time of the day to the disappointment of the crowd that had cheered him to the echo during his brief appearance.
Patience is reaching snapping point among Red Bull’s hierarchy. He has a contract for next season, but Mail Sport understands he is unlikely to see it out.
As it stands, the 34-year-old does not face an immediate sacking but may be encouraged into retirement. His place would then most likely be taken by Liam Lawson, the 22-year-old New Zealander who is impressing at Red Bull’s junior team RB.
Back to Norris and a predictable setback. McLaren’s petition for a right of review over the five-second penalty their man was handed in Austin for overtaking Verstappen off the circuit was rejected by the stewards.
