Lando Norris yet again could not maintain his lead going into turn 1 after starting from pole at the Dutch GP. The Brit was asked about the reasons for a poor start during the post-race conference. Norris had a short and sweet reply to counter it which was, “Not to wheelspin.” However, even his teammate Oscar Piastri suffered from the same problem. Highlighting the same, the Brit highlighted that there might be a deeper problem.
He elaborated, “Because we both didn’t get it right, it seems like maybe there was more underlying issue or something wasn’t how it was supposed to be, or we’ve clearly misjudged something more than what others did.”
What an absolutely stunning drive by Lando Norris today.
Lost the lead at the start, got it back and simply drove away. Winning by over 20 seconds.
McLaren genuinely have a shot at both championships with this kind of pace. They just have to deliver week in week out.
Game on
— Matt Gallagher (@MattP1Gallagher) August 25, 2024
Norris admitted he might not be the best at starts but Piastri is. The Aussie also lost a position at the start to George Russell. This led the Brit to believe there might be a problem with both of their cars getting on the power after lights out.
Despite the setback in the beginning, the MCL38 was fast enough to keep up with Max Verstappen leading the race. Once the McLaren man caught up to the Dutchman, he made an easy pass and never looked back. Norris ended up winning a race with a margin of 22 seconds, one of the biggest of the season, putting a stamp on their superiority.
Norris puts a stamp on McLaren’s authority over the rest at the Dutch GP
After Norris broke Verstappen’s 100% record at Zandvoort, even the home hero accepted defeat. Verstappen and Co. had no reply to the Woking outfit’s dominance at their favored track. The RB20 gave the reigning champion a lot of problems as he was heard complaining during the race as well. With the MCL38’s improved pace, Verstappen also accepted that P2 was the best he could do.
McLaren has truly turned things around in 2024 building on their 2023 development. Now, even on a track they’ve faced a lot of difficulty in the recent past, they were the favorites. McLaren is showcasing their consistency in a season where teams have oscillated in performance depending on track characteristics.
With this win, Norris has now cut the deficit in the drivers’ standings to 70 points. Now, he has nine more races to keep chipping away and get a chance at picking up his first world championship. It won’t be easy, but he definitely has the car performance to turn things around.
