Norris hails 'unbelievable' McLaren pace after second victory

If there were any doubts that Lando Norris had come of age as a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner after his slightly fortuitous win in Miami earlier in the season, then today's emphatic Dutch GP victory should banish them for good.

Norris had topped a wet first practice on Friday at Zandvoort, and then claimed pole position for the race by over three tenths of a second in qualifying on Saturday.

But there were still doubts about whether he would be able to come out on top in a front row head-to-head with Max Verstappen on Sunday, given Verstappen's perfect record of wins at his home circuit since 2021.

Added to that, Norris has been self-critical about his poor starts this season which do appear to be his Achilles Heel. And it happened again today when he suffered wheel spin off the grid and lost the lead into turn 1.

But the good thing about his previous disappointments is that it didn't take him by surprise or send him into a panic. He knew what to do because he'd been there before: dig in, apply pressure, and wait for his opportunity.

• Read also: Peerless Norris rises to the challenge in Zandvoort

Verstappen initially pulled away, but the patient Norris stayed close and slowly reeled the Red Bull back in. By lap 17 Verstappen's medium tyres were suffering, and after an initial feint Norris blasted past next time by for the lead.

Unlike their previous clash in Austria, this time Verstappen knew the score and didn't put up much of a fight. Just as well, as the speed the McLaren showed after than was unbeatable with Norris ending up with a 20 second victory margin.

“Simply lovely, huh?" he said over the team radio on the cool-down lap, echoing the phrase Verstappen has often used after his many victories. “Thank you, well done, boys. Incredible job."

“It feels amazing once again," Norris said when interviewed after the race in parc ferme. “I wouldn’t say a perfect race because of Lap 1 again, but afterwards the pace was very strong.

"The car was unbelievable today. I could get comfortable, I could push and get past Max which was the main thing, and just go from there. Honestly quite a straightforward race - still tough, but very enjoyable."

Norris said that he was pretty sure victory was on the cards as early as lap 5. “I expected Max to start pushing and get a bit of a gap but he never did, so from that point I knew we were in with a good fight.

“But he seemed to just keep dropping off and my pace was getting better," he continued. "So it was a nice feeling inside the car and especially when I got past."

Once in the lead it was plain sailing for Norris, one of the most dominant victories achieved by any driver over the last two years. "I could just get comfortable, I could push, I had clean air and that’s always a big help."

Norris was aware that he was spoiling the Verstappen fan fest, but he was confident that he and McLaren also had a lot of support in the grandstands. "I’m sure some are a little upset, but I hope it was a good race.

“We have so many fans here! It’s beautiful, I have a lot of Dutch fans and Dutch supporters so I thank you very much,” he said. There are a lot here supporting me, and I appreciate it a lot."

The team had been hoping to have both cars on the podium this weekend, but in the end Oscar Piastri was unable to get past Charles Leclerc and had to settle for fourth place.

Their combined efforts mean that McLaren are now just 30 points behind Red Bull in the constructors championship with nine races remaining in 2024.

And with the help of the bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the race today, Norris is in second place in the drivers standings with 70 points to make up on Verstappen. It's a very big ask - but by no means impossible.

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