Lando Norris has admitted he finds his position of being in contention for the F1 world championship as “odd”.
The McLaren driver currently sits 52 points down on Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship with six rounds remaining, and will start the United States GP sprint in fourth placed compared to Verstappen on pole.
McLaren has enjoyed a strong uptick in form this season and has possessed a stronger car than Red Bull across the last several rounds, taking over the lead of the constructors' championship last month.
As he aims to decrease the deficit to Verstappen, Norris conceded he is not quite used to the sensation of being a challenger for the F1 title.
“I think I'm always going to find it odd,” Norris told media including RacingNews365.
“Maybe it takes a few more years to settle in, but I still feel like it wasn't that long ago that I was watching it on TV and I was watching Fernando [Alonso], Lewis [Hamilton], Jenson [Button], all of these guys.
“And now that's me in that position, so I still find that odd, but extremely cool at the same time and still lucky and honoured to be in the position that I'm in, especially with McLaren in Formula 1.”
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Norris relaxed despite ramp up in F1 pressure.
McLaren secured its first race win of the year in Miami, which also marked Norris' first trip to the top step of the podium.
It has since gone from strength to strength, with the 24-year-old adding two further wins to his resumé while team-mate Oscar Piastri has also emerged victorious twice.
Although he has acknowledged the step up in pressure he has had to deal with, Norris asserted he is relaxed over his current situation.
“We're back in a position that we've worked very, very hard to be in, which is fighting for the championship and fighting for both the constructors’ and for a drivers’ championship,” Norris said.
“I'm loving it. It's definitely more enjoyable. It's always going to be more enjoyable when you're fighting for wins and you're fighting for a championship.
“But I'm still relaxed. There's more pressure and a few more nerves, but I'm honestly still very relaxed and pretty chilled about the whole thing.
“I'm sure it's going to get pretty more stressful and the later into the season you go, the trickier it gets, for sure.
“But I'm happy. I'm in a comfortable place. I'm focused on myself, I'm enjoying the whole moment.”
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