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Lando Norris has hit back at Fernando Alonso after the Aston Martin driver joked that McLaren may be getting \u201coverconfident\u201d in their battle for P4 in the Constructor Championship standings.<\/p>\n
The two teams are separated by just 49 points heading into the Qatar Grand Prix and with six rounds remaining, there is still plenty of time for McLaren to close that gap and gain valuable prize money ahead of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n
Norris\u2019 performances have been a major contributing factor to that recovery with the 23-year-old recording four P2 finishes since the British Grand Prix and leading the fightback as Aston Martin continue to struggle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Igniting the rivalry ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Alonso commented: \u201cThey\u2019ve been very strong before the August break, in Austria, and in Silverstone. They were close to being both on the podium at Silverstone and then, Zandvoort, we were on the podium and they struggled a little bit, so it\u2019s good if they\u2019re overconfident and let\u2019s see if we can beat them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Lewis Hamilton discovers penalty fate after stewards’ investigation at Qatar GP[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n The Spaniard\u2019s comments provoked a response from Norris, who said: \u201cHow many points did we catch last weekend? Quite a few, over 20 I think. So unless his his math is deteriorating, which it definitely isn\u2019t, then that\u2019s just Fernando, he\u2019s always gonna say things.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe always makes himself look very good or other makes other people look bad. He\u2019s very good at that. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re overconfident in any way. I think we\u2019re the last people who have ever been overconfident in saying anything.\u201d<\/p>\n More F1… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n With both Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri having their lap times deleted during the final runs of qualifying on Friday, tensions are running particularly high. The same can be said for Alonso\u2019s team-mate, Lance Stroll, who was wrapped up in controversy after shoving his personal trainer in the garage after exiting his Aston Martin car.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz summoned to stewards after Qatar GP qualifying[QATAR GP] <\/strong>
George Russell and Oscar Piastri baffled in awkward interviews as results change[QUALIFYING] <\/strong>
Lance Stroll furiously storms out of frosty interview as Sky Sports make apology[DRAMA] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/73\/590x\/secondary\/Fernando-Alonso-Aston-Martin-4999447.jpg?r=1696684002555\")
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