LANDO NORRIS has raised the heat on Max Verstappen by insisting it is his rival’s world championship to lose this weekend.

Norris will head into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix cauldron – regarded as the toughest physical and mental challenge on the Formula One calendar – still trailing Verstappen by 59 points.

But with Red Bull on a downward spiral and McLaren boasting the best current package on the grid, there is a growing belief that Norris could yet land his maiden world crown.

Norris delivered the first blow in practice by setting the fastest time. He finished 0.058 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Verstappen finished only 15th, an eye-watering 1.3 sec off the pace.

Norris’s championship dreams appeared in tatters after he qualified 17th at the last round in Azerbaijan a week ago. But the British star drove through the field to fourth – passing Verstappen in the closing stages and setting the fastest lap – to take another three points out of the Dutchman’s title lead.

There are 206 points still to play for across seven rounds but Norris said: “It’s still for him to lose, not for me. I’m still the one who has nothing to lose.

“Red Bull are having a less difficult time than we did at the beginning of the year. We have turned things around and I strongly believe they can turn things around quite quickly, too. It’s only the last two races that they have been off the pace.

“Max didn’t get the set-up right in Baku. That’s his excuse for it. And his team-mate [Sergio Perez] got it right, was one of the quickest, and should have won the race, so that’s Max having a bad weekend, not Red Bull.

“People need to look more specifically at what is obvious and in front of them rather than make judgements on general stuff.”