Lando Norris cuts Max Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 70 points after dominant win at the Dutch Grand Prix; “I don’t think we’re the best team since Miami but overall we’ve done it”
Lando Norris insists he has been in a title race with Max Verstappen all season after his Dutch Grand Prix win saw the McLaren driver cut the gap on the reigning world champion to 70 points with nine races remaining.
Leader Norris recovered from losing the lead on the opening lap to finish nearly 23 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen at Zandvoort and claim his second career win, after the Miami Grand Prix in May.
Verstappen has won seven of the first 10 grands prix of 2024 but has failed to win any of the last five, finishing just twice on the podium in that time.
The Dutchman’s lead over Norris after July’s British Grand Prix, the 12th race of the year, was 84 points but the Briton has steadily closed the gap since finishing second in Hungary and now winning in the Netherlands.
Norris – who also added a point for setting the fastest lap at the Dutch Grand Prix in his upgraded car – said of the race for the Drivers’ Championship: “I’ve been fighting for it since the first race of the year. There’s no sudden decision like ‘now I need to do better’.”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the 24-year-old added: “I’ve had the car for a while, that’s obvious. It’s been incredible. I’m not saying we’ve been the best team since Miami but overall we’ve done it.”
Norris isn’t looking too far ahead
Norris said in his post-race press conference that he wouldn’t be too concerned about McLaren’s progress and would focus on the season “race by race”.
He added: “I’m still 70 points behind Max, so it’s stupid to think about anything at the moment. I’m taking it one race at a time. There’s no point thinking about the remaining races.
“I’m not concerned at the moment. It’s not a question I need to be asked every weekend.”
On the huge gap between him and second-placed Verstappen at Zandvoort, Norris said: “I thought Max would be quicker than he actually was.
“It looked like he was the odd man out when he dropped behind the Ferraris, which was really unexpected.”
Brown: We’ve got exciting things coming up for Monza
McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose team are now just 30 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, was “very surprised” by Norris’ dominance but expects Red Bull to respond at Monza.
Brown said: “We knew we were fast all weekend, so I’m not surprised by the big gap, just pleasantly surprised. Lando was definitely in control of the race.
“The upgrades have clearly paid off but we need to stay consistent because of the competitiveness of Formula 1 and not assume that it will happen every weekend.
“We’ve obviously got a fast car and there’s some exciting stuff coming up at Monza, so I think we’ll be ready. But I think Red Bull will be quicker there.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “It’s exceeded expectations. We knew the car was good but today was a positive surprise in terms of its pace.
“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 venue. That’s the goal.
“We are fighting with Red Bull. They have dominated in previous seasons. For us, it is exciting to be in this position and it seems we have the ability to try.”
