Dutch Grand Prix: Lando Norris insists he was in title battle with Max Verstappen all season | F1 News

Lando Norris insists he is in a title fight with Max Verstappen all season after the McLaren driver moved to within 70 points of the reigning world champion with his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Pole-sitter Norris recovered from losing the lead on the first lap to finish almost 23 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Verstappen at Zandvoort, securing the second Grand Prix victory of his career after the Miami Grand Prix in May.

Verstappen triumphed in seven of the first ten Grands Prix of 2024, but has not won any of the last five and has only been on the podium twice during that time.

Norris – who also received an extra point for the fastest lap in the Netherlands with his improved car – said of the battle for the drivers' championship: “I have been fighting for it since the first race of the year.”

“There is no sudden decision like 'Now I have to do better'. I have worked hard all year.”

Add to Sky Sports F1The 24-year-old said: “I've had the car for a while, that's obvious. It's phenomenal. I wouldn't say we've been the best since Miami, but on average we have been.”

Norris doesn’t look too far ahead

Norris, who will be looking to further reduce Verstappen's lead at next weekend's Italian Grand Prix in Monza, said in the post-race press conference that he would not get carried away by McLaren's progress and would approach the season “race by race”.

He added: “I'm still 70 points behind Max, so it's pretty stupid to think about anything at the moment. I'm taking one race at a time. There's no point in thinking about the rest.”

“I don't care at the moment. That's not a question I need to be asked every weekend.”

Commenting on the large gap between him and second-placed Verstappen at Zandvoort, Norris said: “I thought Max would be faster than him.”

“It seemed like he was the outlier as he fell way back to the Ferraris, which was a surprise.”

Brown: We have prepared great things for Monza

McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose team is now just 30 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship, was “pleasantly surprised” by Norris' dominance but expects Red Bull to respond in Monza.

Brown said: “We knew all weekend that we were fast, so I'm not shocked at the size of the gap, just pleasantly surprised. Lando definitely controlled the race.”

“The upgrades have obviously worked, but given the competition in Formula 1, we need to stay grounded and not assume that this will be a repeat every weekend.”

“We've clearly got a fast car and we've got some fun stuff in store for Monza, so I think we'll be ready. But I think Red Bull will be quick there.”

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella added: “This exceeded our expectations. We knew the car was capable of good performance, but today we were pleasantly surprised by its speed.”

“The upgrades for this weekend have put us in a strong and exciting position for the future. Let's see if it's enough to be the best car at every single venue. That's the goal.”

“We are battling against Red Bull. They have been dominant in recent seasons. For us it is exciting to be in this position and it looks like we have the performance to try.”

The 2024 Formula 1 season continues next weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, live on Sky Sports F1.

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