Lando Norris worried F1 fans will be turned off by ‘boring’ Max Verstappen dominance

Lando Norris says he fears Max Verstappen’s dominance of F1 will bore fans and put them off watching the sport.

Red Bull’s triple world champion claimed another dominant victory at the returning Chinese Grand Prix, having also easily won the sprint race despite qualifying fourth.

It marked Verstappen’s 38th win in the 49 races since new regulations were introduced in 2022, and his 23rd victory in the last 27 grands prix.

“It is frustrating for people watching but it has always been like this,” Norris said.

“We are seeing more dominance than ever, so it is never going to be the best to watch and the only exciting races have been the ones that Max is not in.

“If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious.

“You have got one of the best drivers ever in Formula One, in one of the most dominant cars and it is a combination that is deadly.

“If Max wasn’t there and you had two [Sergio] Perez’s, it wouldn’t be the case.”

Norris added: “Am I surprised how far Red Bull is ahead? No.

“When you know how tricky it is to get it right, then it makes sense. They are just smart people.

“You hope teams plateau and we are starting to get there but at the same time to suddenly jump and catch them [Red Bull], it just doesn’t work like that.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner dismissed suggestions that Verstappen’s dominance is damaging F1.

“You have to appreciate success. Max is a special talent and this is a golden moment for him,” he said.

“As we have seen with every single driver in the past, it doesn't last forever. It is about enjoying the moment and being in the moment and there are no guarantees we can give him a car like this for the next five years.

“Max is just a metronome. The pace he showed last year, he has continued that through.

“And since the last Chinese Grand Prix in 2019, he has won 50 per cent of all the races. He has won 21 out of the last 23 races. He is in fantastic form, at one with the car and the team and enjoying his racing.”