Lando Norris has raised the heat on Max Verstappen by insisting it is his rival’s world championship to lose.

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’ 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.”

However, the hot and humid Marina Bay Circuit is a bogey venue for Verstappen. He finished seventh here in 2022 and crossed the line fifth last season – marking his only appearance from 22 outings where he failed to finish on the podium. His form in practice is unlikely to provide him with a morale boost heading into the rest of the weekend.

Verstappen is also without a victory from his last seven races, a statistic that would have been considered inconceivable at the beginning of the year when he opened his bid for a fourth world title with seven victories from the opening 10.

McLaren’s surge to the top has raised eyebrows among rival teams. Red Bull were understood to be suspicious about the legality of the British team’s rear wing in Azerbaijan, with footage from Oscar Piastri’s on-board camera showing it flexing at high speed.

The FIA provided McLaren with the all-clear but then rowed back on their decision in the city state, calling on them to make modifications. However, the FIA’s change of heart appeared to have little impact on their speed.

“I am still feeling good and I still feel confident, as much as I have for a long time,” continued Norris. “I feel as if I am doing some of my best qualifyings and best races. It’s just that the outcome in the races are not what they should have been.

“It’s a little frustrating but I am still optimistic. This could be the one that could click. I need a couple of clean weekends, that’s all.”

George Russell might have been keen for a clean weekend after he crashed out on the final lap last year whilst he duelled for the lead with Carlos Sainz.

But he was in the wall again on Friday, when he carried too much speed into the eighth corner. Russell broke his front wing before he limped back to the pits. He finished seventh, four places ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes.