Lando Norris has been told he has little chance of beating Max Verstappen and winning the 2024 World Drivers’ Championship despite bigging up his chances. In a poll of Express Sport readers, Formula One fans still overwhelmingly back Red Bull’s Verstappen to win a fourth consecutive title.

Norris has come the closest to breaking Verstappen’s dominance this season. The McLaren driver won his maiden Grand Prix in Miami last month and has four podiums in 2024.

He came second behind the Dutchman at Imola last week and is backing his chances of a similar positive performance in Monaco this weekend. However, despite insisting that he cannot rule out McLaren’s chances of taking home a World Drivers’ Championship, Express Sport readers do not believe in the 24-year-old.

Only 14 per cent of voters said that Norris can win the drivers’ title this season. The remaining 86 per cent do not think the Briton can end Verstappen’s dominance with Red Bull.

It comes after Norris was asked by Sky Sports if he can win the title this year, and he said: "We're a third of the way through so we have a very long way to go, so I think many, many things can happen.

"But also Monaco is a place where anything can happen. So I would never say 'no' anymore.

"I've got fed up of myself kind of underestimating what we can achieve as a team. So we're going to come in, we're positive, we've had a very good run of results - second, first, second - and there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to continue that here in Monaco.

"It's not known to be our best track but, at the same time, anything can happen."

Verstappen endured a below-par day of practice in Monaco on Friday. The 26-year-old’s straightline speed was noticeably down. However, he bounced back from a similarly underwhelming practice at Imola to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Ferrari and Charles Leclerc enjoyed the best performance heading into Saturday’s action. Leclerc is hoping to win his home race for the first time. He has failed to even stand on the podium in each of his previous races at the Monaco Grand Prix.

"Monaco is so specific that we need to start a little bit from a blank page. Free Practice is super, super important to build the pace little by little. But I'm confident we will be strong," said Leclerc.

"It's the same roads that I took by bus to go to school when I was younger. Now it's in a Formula 1 car. So that makes it extra special for me. So I'm really looking forward to it. To be in Monaco, a very special track I think for every driver because it's a very challenging track and extra special for me, as it's my home race."