Lando Norris claims McLaren has work to do to ‘catch up to Mercedes’ at the Dutch GP

McLaren's Lando Norris has been winless since the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

Lando Norris claims McLaren has work to do to ‘catch up to Mercedes’ at the Dutch GP

George Russell and Lando Norris (Via: Imago)

McLaren driver Lando Norris has praised Mercedes’s performance during yesterday’s FP1 and FP2 at the Dutch GP. The Silver Arrows have been on a rejuvenated run of form ever since the Canadian race weekend this season.

Lando Norris topped the first practice session while finishing P4 in FP2 on Friday. He has been on a formidable run of form this year, scoring 199 points so far. The 24-year-old has, however, failed to convert probable chances into wins, which has cost him dearly in the title race.

Norris has deemed the Brackley-based Mercedes as the fastest amongst the top teams in Zandvoort. The British driver then claimed that his team was fractionally slower than the Silver Arrows despite topping FP1.

We had a few ups and downs, so we still need to make some steps forward for tomorrow. We’re probably not the fastest, Mercedes were a bit faster. But we’re all very close, being faster depends on different factors. We still have some work to do during the night to catch up with Mercedes.
Lando Norris via Formu1a.uno

The Woking-based outfit is currently second in the championship, trailing Red Bull by 42 points. They will now look to top the times in qualifying in order to attain an advantageous start to the race on Sunday.

Lando Norris reflects on missed opportunities ahead of Dutch GP

McLaren has been a potent contender for the title this year but has only won two of the 14 races so far. Lando Norris has since reflected on his mistakes ahead of a crucial second half for the Woking-based outfit.

Lando Norris
Lando Norris (via IMAGO)
I acknowledge and accept that, and don’t need many people to tell me it. I’m sure you can tell when I’m not performing to the level I need to, but I’ve had some time to review it and make sure I come back stronger for the second half of the season.
Lando Norris via Fomula1.com

Norris has claimed to be self-aware of his shortfalls and mistakes during the ongoing season. He then stated that the recent summer break has energized him to deliver better performances going ahead.

The 24-year-old is chasing his first-ever title in Formula 1. The upcoming race at Zandvoort will be a stern test for Norris as he attempts to extract maximum performance out of the ever-improving MCL38 on Sunday.

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