Lando Norris says Max Verstappen’s latest victories shouldn’t shock individuals and that Pink Bull has areas the place it’s on “one other stage” in comparison with McLaren.
Verstappen gained 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 tricky weekend in Azerbaijan, and Norris stated Pink Bull having circuits that go well with its automotive will not be sudden, even when he’s seen an additional step ahead in efficiency.
“It is not typically that they are gradual, so I believe individuals have to cease being so shocked that they are fast,” Norris stated. “Max was successful races already initially of the yr, he might have gained 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 workforce and the most effective drivers ever in Method 1 so we anticipate nothing much less.
“They will make our life troublesome for the remainder of the season, however we additionally know from our facet, 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 prior to now, they nonetheless have and we don’t, and once I was following the Pink Bull [in Baku], there have been clearly some areas the place they have been simply one other stage to us and we have to perceive why.”
Increasing on the place the Pink Bull has a bonus over the McLaren, Norris stated it’s all the way down to how robust his automotive is to drive when in a low-downforce configuration.
“I do not assume we had the tempo of Pink Bull, actually,” he stated. “That was very, very clear. I believe simply the decrease downforce tracks, we nonetheless appear to wrestle.
“We nonetheless do not have the boldness 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 a tremendous season, do not get me improper, however we clearly have issues that aren’t ok and now we have to maintain engaged on them.”
