Lando Norris claims McLaren’s race pace is ‘nowhere near enough’ after a disappointing P7 at the Dutch GP

Lando Norris slipped surprisingly backward on the grid during the Dutch GP.

Lando Norris claims McLaren’s race pace is ‘nowhere near enough’ after a disappointing P7 at the Dutch GP

Lando Norris (Via IMAGO)

Lando Norris set the timing sheets alight during the qualifying session of the Dutch GP, but when it came to the race pace, the MCL60 was nowhere near what the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes were able to produce. Norris feels his team has got a lot of work ahead of them if they are to catch the front runners.

The Dutch GP was the first race of the second leg of the 2023 F1 season, and the McLarens were seen troubling the top teams for most of the three-day event. Qualifying was the highlight for the papaya team as Lando Norris put in a stellar lap that was good enough for starting on the front row.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNzRnVdzPJc

However, as the main race got going during the past weekend, the 23-year-old was seen gradually slipping down the order to end his race in a disappointing P7 ultimately. Seeing the lack of pace of the MCL60 is race-trim, he has raised concerns and told Motorsport.com, “There are times when it’s down to pace and times when it’s down to strategy, and the strategy is what messed us up today.”

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“So our pace today was a long way off the pace that we showed yesterday in qualifying. And our one-lap is still a lot more competitive than our race pace. I think that’s becoming more and more evident. And we’re doing whatever we can to fix it and make steps forward, but at the minute it’s nowhere near enough.”

Discover: Oscar Piastri brands the chaotic Dutch GP as a ‘baptism by fire’

Lando Norris and Co. have been on the rise in recent times in F1

McLaren (Credits: Autosport)
McLaren (Credits: Autosport)

While Lando Norris has sounded very dejected with how the Dutch GP panned out for him and the McLaren F1 team, the Woking-based outfit has been on an upward trajectory at the pinnacle of motor racing since the last few races. The car has performed well, and only at Zandvoort that it performed below expectations in race-trim.

However, when it comes to one lap pace, the car again proved strong, just like it proved at the Silverstone F1 circuit and a few others on this year’s F1 calendar. From McLaren’s point of view, if they can sort its race-trim issues quickly, they could pose a big challenge to the front-running teams.

The Dutch GP has now become a thing of the past, and next up is the Grand Prix at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza Formula 1 circuit. The track has certain characteristics that should suit the MCL60, and considering this, the papaya team would ideally be eyeing a podium finish at the course.

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