For McLaren driver Lando Norris, the Dutch Grand Prix is arguably a must-win. And the same can be said for many of the following races too.
Norris is 78 points behind Red Bull driver and home favourite Max Verstappen with 10 races to go. He needs one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history if he’s to become world champion.
Despite that, the Briton hasn’t given up. It would be far easier to play down his chances and instead look to next year, but he remains optimistic.

A big part of the reason for that is McLaren’s strength. They arguably have the best all-round car in Formula 1 right now.
Norris would be an awful lot closer to Verstappen if he and his team hadn’t squandered numerous opportunities. He had chances to win in Canada, Spain, Austria, Great Britain and Hungary but couldn’t take them, for various reasons.
Still, Red Bull appear to have somewhat lost their way in F1’s development race. Verstappen is currently enduring a four-race run without victory – his longest barren spell since 2020.
Anthony Davidson and David Croft disagree on new Lando Norris onboard camera at Dutch Grand Prix
Norris is running a special onboard camera at this weekend’s race. The so-called gyro cam is designed to better convey the sense of speed to viewers at home.
Zandvoort is one of the most unique circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. It features a number of banked corners, most notably the steep turn three.
Watching from the Sky Sports F1 commentary box in FP1, racing driver Anthony Davidson said he had to ‘look away’ from the screen as Norris navigated the 2.6-mile layout. But his colleague David Croft is far more enthusiastic.
During FP2, Croft praised the F1 broadcast team for the innovation. He wants to see more of the ‘phenomenal’ angle.
“This funny camera that they have on the McLaren as well – it makes me feel sick!” Davidson said. “I have to look away!”
“I absolutely adore this camera angle,” Croft countered. “I’ve been sat watching FP1. It’s almost like you’re riding on a bike. It’s like Moto GP as you turn around that banking. Absolutely phenomenal. More of that this weekend thanks you very much.”
What F1 fans think of the ‘gyro cam’
This isn’t the first time the camera has featured in the world feed. It’s appeared on multiple cars over the course of the season, including Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at the British Grand Prix.
Many F1 fans expressed their approval for the ‘gyro cam’ after watching the action from Stroll’s point of view. It’s not the only new angle for this season as the sport also experiments with a rear-facing camera during on-track battles.
The tight, twisty and sloping nature of the Zandvoort circuit makes for captivating qualifying sessions. But it naturally makes overtaking difficult, particularly in the current generation of cars.
The Dutch GP is out of contract next year, which means its future is uncertain. Organisers could do with a thrilling race in 2024 to remind F1 how much value their event brings to the calendar.
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