Winner of two consecutive Grands Prix, Lando Norris is gradually returning to the fight for the championship. But despite his current momentum, the McLaren driver still refuses to think about the title.
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Lando Norris is undoubtedly the man in form at the moment. After his success in Hungary before the summer break, the Briton repeated his feat at Zandvoort by winning the Dutch Grand Prix after a turbulent race.
The reigning world champion built his success in the second half of the race. After losing the lead to Kimi Antonelli at the restart, Norris took advantage of an alternate strategy to benefit from fresher tires and catch up to the Mercedes.
He ultimately won with more than eleven seconds ahead of Antonelli, securing his second victory of the season. Above all, these two consecutive wins allow him to continue reducing his deficit in the championship.
Norris remains 83 points behind the leader
Despite his recent comeback, the situation remains delicate for Norris. The McLaren driver is still 83 points behind the championship leader.
When asked about his chances of truly rejoining the title fight, the Briton prefers not to draw conclusions after his two victories.
“This might sound boring, but you have to take the races one at a time,” explains Norris.
“I know a lot of people say that now, but it’s the reality. There’s no point thinking too far ahead. I now have to focus on a short break before Monza.”
Norris nevertheless acknowledges that the last two weekends represent an important step for McLaren. After a difficult start to the season, the British team now seems capable of regularly fighting at the front.
“Obviously, we’ve just had two excellent weekends, but we have to start from scratch and learn as much as possible. There are still many things we need to do better and improve if we want to fight for a championship.”
McLaren still needs to improve
The Briton does not hide his ambitions but believes McLaren still has several steps to take to hope to maintain this momentum until the end of the season.
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“I am very satisfied with the team and all the work done by everyone. But it’s harder than I would like and I wish I had a bigger lead!”
At Zandvoort, Norris had to fight for his victory on track. After building a strategic gap on Antonelli, he caught up to the Mercedes while Lewis Hamilton was also ahead of him with a different strategy.
This situation gave the McLaren driver an opportunity he knew he had to seize immediately.
A decisive overtake for the victory
Norris believes that one of his attacks in the second half of the race was the decisive moment of his Grand Prix.
“The overtake was good! I knew I wouldn’t have many chances. Every lap I spent behind them reduced my chances.”
When Hamilton defended against Antonelli, Norris realized an opportunity was presenting itself.
“I saw Lewis defend and I knew it was my moment. I adjusted the brake balance by a few clicks and I knew I was going to have to fully commit at the braking.”
A perfectly controlled risk that largely contributed to opening the way to victory.
“That overtake won me the race. I think I probably had only one chance to do it and I made the most of it.”
With two consecutive wins and a McLaren now capable of competing with Mercedes, Norris continues to close the gap. At 83 points from the top, the road to the title is still long, but his current momentum could quickly turn a still hypothetical comeback into a real threat to Kimi Antonelli.
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