Norris backed to defeat Verstappen in F1 title fight

Lando Norris has been backed by former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner to defeat Max Verstappen in the fight for the F1 drivers' title.

Norris reduced Verstappen's lead to 52 points after winning the recent Singapore Grand Prix, where the pace of McLaren stunned Steiner. 

The entirety of the Singapore GP was dominated by Norris, who would have claimed a grand chelem had Daniel Ricciardo not set the fastest lap on the final lap.

Steiner was hugely impressed by the dominance of the MCL38 at the Marina Bay Circuit, with Norris having finished 21 seconds ahead of Verstappen who finished in second.

When asked on the Red Flags Podcast what his biggest takeaway from Singapore was, Steiner answered: "How good McLaren was. Different planet, in my opinion.

"And he [Norris] was not cruising around, but he was not giving it his all. I think there was more. And when they told him 'try to make a gap', within two laps, the gap was there. 

"Pretty easy. That's how good that car is at the moment."

McLaren's superiority in Singapore was highlighted by Oscar Piastri also finishing on the podium in third.

As a result, the Woking-based team now have a 41-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors' championship. 

The drivers' title is where the real fight is though, with Steiner backing Norris to become the world champion this year. 

"I bet on Lando," revealed Steiner. "It just was what I saw in Singapore, was just so good, except the few times he kissed the wall a little bit."