IndyCar champion contradicts Lando Norris' "talking nonsense" remark against Max Verstappen with bold claim

IndyCar champion Alex Palou has backed Max Verstappen's bold claim that he would've 'easily' and already won the 2025 F1 drivers' championship if he were driving the dominant McLaren car. Verstappen made the statement before the Qatar GP, which didn't go down well with Lando Norris.

Though the McLaren driver said that he 'respected' his Red Bull rival for winning four world championships, he didn't like the claim. Norris accused Verstappen and Red Bull of "talking nonsense a lot of the time," per a Sky Sports report.

In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Alex Palou, who dominantly won the 2025 IndyCar championship, was asked if he could've won the F1 championship in the McLaren. He replied:

"I don't know. I think so. But I don't know. Well, I think I could have fought for it, but you never know. Maybe I'd get in that car and be half a second slower."

However, when he was asked if Max Verstappen, his former teammate from their karting days, would've won this year's drivers' championship with McLaren, Palou said:

"Ah! Plenty! Do I think I would have won with that car? I don't know. I'm telling you, I think I could have fought for it, but I wouldn't have won it two months earlier. Max, yes, he would have. Max is the only one who would have won two months ago."

McLaren was the ultimate force in F1 this year, and wrapped up the constructors' championship in early October, with six races remaining in the season. Oscar Piastri seemed like the clear championship favorite up until the Dutch GP in August, which unfortunately turned out to be the site of his last victory in the second half of the season so far.

Max Verstappen, who was once 104 points behind the Aussie, has finished on the podium in nine of nine races since the summer break, including five race wins, and is now four points ahead of him. Lando Norris still leads the championship by 12 points with one race remaining, but the Red Bull driver is the one with the momentum.

Max Verstappen empathizes with Lando Norris with insight on the pursuit of first F1 title

Max Verstappen at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix 2025 - Source: Getty

Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen empathized with Lando Norris and explained the multitude of pressures that an F1 driver faces when contending for their first championship. In 2021, the Red Bull driver was in the same spot the McLaren drivers are in 2025.

Verstappen was up against the dominant reigning champion then, with the title fight going down to the wire, and so is the case for his current rivals.

"Your dream is to win a championship, and that is when the pressure is on," said the Dutchman via Express UK. "It was the same for me when I was fighting for my first title. You definitely feel more pressure of being in that fight and thinking ‘this is my chance’ and not knowing if you will get another one. People can hide a lot. And I would if I was in his (Norris’) position."

"The pressure of getting it over the line is in the back of his mind. He is more affected by it when someone says something negative, but every person is different. I don’t care. I am like, 'Whatever, you can say what you want.' When you have won four world championships already, it is amazing, and I shouldn’t be in the fight really, but I am here.”

Max Verstappen won the Qatar GP, reducing his 24-point gap to Lando Norris to 12 points. Oscar Piastri is in third, 16 points behind his McLaren teammate, the championship leader, and four points behind Verstappen.