Lando Norris insists he has been in a title fight with Max Verstappen all season long after victory at the Dutch Grand Prix saw the McLaren driver close to within 70 points of the reigning world champion.
Pole-sitter Norris recovered from losing his lead on the first lap to finish almost 23 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen at Zandvoort and claim the second grand prix win of his career, after the Miami Grand Prix in May.
Verstappen triumphed in seven of the first 10 grands prix of 2024 but has won none of the last five and only finished on the podium twice in that time.
Norris – who also gained an extra point for setting the fastest lap in the Netherlands in his upgraded car – said of competing for the Drivers’ Championship: “I’ve been fighting for it since the first race of the year.
“There’s no sudden decision of ‘now I need to do better’. I’ve been working hard the whole year.”
Adding to Sky Sports F1, the 24-year-old said: “I have had the car for a while, that is obvious. It has been phenomenal. I wouldn’t say we have been the best since Miami but on average we have been.”
Norris not looking too far ahead
Norris, who will be aiming to cut Verstappen’s advantage further at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, said in the post-race press conference he would not get carried away with McLaren’s progression and will take the season “one race at a time”.
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Sky Sports F1’s Anthony Davidson analyses why Norris had a slow start at Zandvoort
He added: “I’m still 70 points behind Max, so it’s pretty stupid to think of anything at the minute. I am taking it one race at a time. There’s no point thinking about the rest.
“I don’t care at the minute. It’s not a question I need to get asked every single weekend.”
On the hefty gap between himself and second-placed Verstappen in Zandvoort, Norris said: “I thought Max would be quicker than he was.
“It seemed like he was the outlier as he dropped all the way back to the Ferraris, which was a surprise.”
Brown: We have fun stuff coming for Monza
McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose team now trail Red Bull by just 30 points in the Constructors’ Championship, was “pleasantly surprised” by Norris’ dominance but expects Red Bull to respond at Monza.
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McLaren CEO Zak Brown says Norris was in control of the Dutch GP but they need to keep their feet on the ground after the convincing win
Brown said: “We knew we were fast all weekend, so I am not shocked at the size of the gap, just pleasantly surprised. Lando definitely controlled the race.
“The upgrades clearly worked but we need to keep our feet on the ground with how competitive Formula 1 is and not assume that is going to be repeated every weekend.
“We clearly have a fast car and have some fun stuff coming for Monza, so I think we will be ready. But I think Red Bull will be quick there.”
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Check out how Norris regained the lead from Verstappen at Zandvoort
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “It’s beyond expectations. We knew the car was performing well but today was a positive surprise in terms of how fast it was.
“The upgrades for this weekend have put us in a strong and exciting position for the future. Let’s see if it’s enough to be the best car at every single venue. This is the objective.
“We are fighting Red Bull. They have been dominant in previous seasons. For us, it’s exciting to be in this position and it looks like we have the performance to give it a go.”
The 2024 Formula 1 season continues with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.
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