Lando Norris says Max Verstappen’s latest victories shouldn’t shock folks and that Pink Bull has areas the place it’s on “one other degree” in comparison with McLaren.
Verstappen received back-to-back races in Monza and Baku to double his tally for the season after not having secured a victory since Imola previous to that. McLaren, in the meantime, endured a troublesome weekend in Azerbaijan, and Norris mentioned Pink Bull having circuits that swimsuit its automobile isn’t surprising, even when he’s seen an additional step ahead in efficiency.
“It isn’t typically that they are gradual, so I believe folks have to cease being so shocked that they are fast,” Norris mentioned. “Max was successful races already firstly of the yr, he might have received spherical one, I believe he was fairly near successful [other races]. The entire season they have been fast.
“The Pink Bull has been good; they introduced some upgrades to Monza which appears to have helped them enhance much more. So, not a shock, I believe we all know that they are an extremely robust crew and among the finest drivers ever in Formulation 1 so we anticipate nothing much less.
“They will make our life tough for the remainder of the season, however we additionally know from our aspect, we struggled a bit [in Baku]; Monza, clearly weren’t fast sufficient. We have made enhancements, however issues the place the Pink Bull have been so good and dominant up to now, they nonetheless have and we don’t, and after I was following the Pink Bull [in Baku], there have been clearly some areas the place they had been simply one other degree to us and we have to perceive why.”
Increasing on the place the Pink Bull has a bonus over the McLaren, Norris mentioned it’s right down to how powerful his automobile is to drive when in a low-downforce configuration.
“I do not suppose we had the tempo of Pink Bull, actually,” he mentioned. “That was very, very clear. I believe simply the decrease downforce tracks, we nonetheless appear to battle.
“We nonetheless haven’t got the arrogance we want. It may be fast, we’re simply not in a position to repeat it as typically as we have to and as typically because the Pink Bull, for instance. We have had an incredible season, do not get me unsuitable, however we clearly have issues that aren’t adequate and now we have to maintain engaged on them.”
