“Thank God": Lando Norris reacts about the title fight finally ending after Max Verstappen’s 4th championship

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen has won the 2024 Formula 1 championship. A relieved Lando Norris reacted during the post-race media interaction when questioned about the title fight ending in Las Vegas.

While Verstappen took an early lead in the championship by winning four of the first five races in the 2024 season, Norris and McLaren began fighting back from the Miami Grand Prix onward. With a much upgraded MCL38 race car, the young Brit consistently kept scoring points after the summer break, closing the gap to Verstappen in the Drivers' table.

However, with Red Bull bringing critical upgrades ahead of the US Grand Prix at Austin, Verstappen began extracting maximum performance from his RB20 race car. With a win at the rain-soaked Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit in Sao Paulo, the gap between the two leaders increased to 62 points, allowing Verstappen an opportunity to win the title in Las Vegas.

By finishing the race ahead of Norris, the Dutchman clinched his fourth championship in a row under the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, thereby ending the intense battle between the duo. In a mandatory post-race interaction, Norris expressed his feelings about the title fight ending ahead of the last two races.

"I wonder if it's almost a relief that you cannot talk about the championship anymore and put that to bed?" questioned a journalist.

"Thank God!" Norris replied.

"Ahh, no. I mean, I'll start by saying congrats to Max," he added.

A video of the above-mentioned interaction was shared on X by a Norris fan. Here's a look at the post:

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"He drove a better season than I did" - Lando Norris praised Max Verstappen on winning his fourth title in Las Vegas

Despite a close battle for a large part of the 2024 season, Max Verstappen gained the upper hand on Lando Norris, thereby winning the Drivers' title in Las Vegas. The McLaren driver praised the four-time world champion during an interview after the street race.

"Congrats to Max – I’m disappointed I’m out of it, but Max deserved to win it. He drove a better season than I did, he deserved it more than anyone else, Max just doesn’t have a weakness. When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always, always there to make your life tough and difficult," Norris said.

"He drove a very good year, can’t fault him. This weekend’s been dreadful from us, we couldn’t even put up a fight against Max, something I would have loved to have done today, but congrats to him for what he’s achieved," he added.

Although Norris has lost the Drivers' title, McLaren still has two races to defend its lead against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing in the Constructors' table this season.