Max Verstappen has reiterated his belief that Lando Norris' time will come, with the McLaren driver on the cusp of claiming his first F1 drivers' championship.
The Dutchman clinched his fourth title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last season, finally putting to rest Norris' challenge for the crown.
Ahead of the 2025 edition of the round in Sin City, the Red Bull driver was asked about remarks he made to the Briton following his triumph in Nevada 12 months ago, when he told him that he would have his day in the future.
When Verstappen was quizzed on whether he is seeing a different Norris to the one he fought last year, he replied to media, including RacingNews365: "I think, lately, yeah, the weekends seem to be really coming together very nicely.
"So, yeah, in that sense, definitely a bit different.
"But every year you also grow and learn from past mistakes or weekends where you think you could have done a better job, and that goes for everyone. It's not only particularly Lando in this case."
Norris, sitting 24 points ahead of Oscar Piastri and Verstappen in the standings, is close to being on the brink of the title, with only two rounds remaining.
Having fallen 34 points adrift of his McLaren team-mate seven rounds ago, the 26-year-old has put together a strong and concerted second part of the campaign to turn the championship battle on its head, despite both MCL39s being disqualified from the results in Nevada.
Prior to their exclusion, from second and fourth, respectively, Norris was 30 points clear of Piastri and 42 ahead of Verstappen, who won under the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
Addressing his prior comments directly, the 28-year-old pointed out that he had not "lied" to his title rival, maintaining that sometimes patience is required.
"And what I said last year, I meant — simple as that," the 69-time grand prix winner added.
"There's nothing that I lied about, and it's quite clear, right, this season. Sometimes, you just need to be a bit patient and wait for your moment."
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