Lando Norris celebrated a commanding victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen by an impressive 22 seconds. Charles Leclerc secured the third position on the podium.
Following his win at Zandvoort, Norris expressed his belief that McLaren now possesses the fastest car in Formula One, despite still being 70 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings with nine races remaining.
Earlier in the season, Verstappen’s Red Bull was the dominant force, winning four of the first five races. However, Norris now feels confident that McLaren has taken the lead in performance.
“Absolutely, yes,” Norris stated. “This entire weekend has shown that we have had the best car. On average, I believe we have indeed had the best car. We haven’t had a car that has been dominant at any point this season.”
He also pointed out that the team has had opportunities they didn’t capitalize on. “We could have potentially won two or three more races as a team, but it didn’t happen, and that’s just a fact.”
When asked if he feels he is genuinely in contention for the championship with Verstappen, Norris replied, “I’ve been in the championship fight since the very first race. There’s no sudden realization or need to do better. I’ve been putting in the effort all year long, yet I’m still 70 points behind Max.”
He emphasized the importance of focusing on one race at a time, stating, “There’s no point in thinking too far ahead or dwelling on the standings. My priority is to maintain focus on each race as it comes, rather than responding to questions about the championship every weekend.”