LUSAIL, Qatar — Lando Norris disagrees with Max Verstappen’s belief he would have won the Formula One world championship earlier had he been driving a McLaren, saying the Dutchman “should start doing comedy or something.”

Lando Norris has dismissed as “comedy” a reported claim by Max Verstappen that he could have secured the Formula 1 title earlier if he’d had the same McLaren car as Norris, his closest challenger.

Lando Norris joked that Max Verstappen should go into comedy after the Red Bull driver claimed he would have won this year’s F1 world title sooner if he was driving in a McLaren. Verstappen sealed his fourth successive world championship in Las Vegas last weekend, with Norris now unable to catch him with two rounds remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris ignored team orders as he handed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri the win the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix in a one-two finish for the team

Australia's Oscar Piastri wins the F1 sprint race in Qatar with some help from teammate Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen has pole taken away from him for driving "unnecessarily slowly".

McLaren neared its first Formula 1 constructors’ title in 26 years as Lando Norris handed Oscar Piastri victory in a one-two finish for the team in the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday.

Lando Norris defied team orders during the Qatar Sprint race, allowing Oscar Piastri to win and securing a one-two finish for McLaren in the 2024 Formula 1 Championship.

Lando Norris lifted the spirits of his title-chasing McLaren team on Friday when he powered to pole position ahead of Mercedes' George Russell in qualifying for Saturday's sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.