Jaws dropped in Mercedes garage after seeing how fast 24-year-old was in Saudi Arabia

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The Mercedes garage lost all hope of Lewis Hamilton earning more than a couple of points in Saudi Arabia when they saw how quick Lando Norris was.

The pair both chose the alternative strategy in Jeddah but it was the 24-year-old McLaren driver who came out on top.

Speaking on the Short Corners Podcast, Peter Windsor detailed the reaction of the Silver Arrows staff when the two started their battle at the end of the race.

Mercedes garage couldn’t believe how fast Lando Norris was

A hierarchy is quickly being formed on the Formula 1 grid just two races into the 2024 season.

Red Bull are once again well out in front and Ferrari have established themselves as their closest rivals.

It then appears to be a shootout between McLaren and Mercedes to be the best of the rest, as well as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who continues to outperform his car.

Lando Norris was heard complaining about his car after the Bahrain Grand Prix when he and Oscar Piastri finished 6^th and 8^th.

They were split by Lewis Hamilton with George Russell coming out on top that day.

Piastri was the highest placed finished in Saudi Arabia out of the two teams and finished ahead of Russell on the same strategy.

It meant Lando Norris and Hamilton were left to battle it out for 8^th and 9^th after gambling under the safety car.

However, the Mercedes garage were left shocked by how fast Norris’s McLaren was in the fast parts of the track in Jeddah.

It’s a fundamental issue the team are still dealing with and Hamilton admitted they were ‘miles off’ after the race.

Mercedes left behind by McLaren in Saudi Arabia

Commenting on the battle between the two Brits, Windsor said: “We then finally saw the difference between the McLaren and the Mercedes in 100%, technicolour clarity at the end when they were both out – Lando [Norris] and Lewis [Hamilton] – nose-to-tail, Lando in front of Lewis on these used sets of soft tyres.

“There was everything to gain, there was only effectively 10 laps to go so they were both flat out.

“And they were very, very close. Lewis on his first flying lap, he came in one lap earlier than Lando was almost past but didn’t get him.

“Then they got to the middle section of the lap, the high-speed corners, the medium-speed corners and Lando just pulled away.

“And jaws in the Mercedes garage just dropped and that was it, and that was the big message of the race.

“Even in Saudi Arabia, a circuit with three DRS zones Lewis couldn’t get past Lando.

“Lando was so much quicker through the quick corners in terms of grip level and the downforce they were running and they were able to generate on the McLaren, but he was just pulling away.”

The Mercedes garage will be hoping those back in the factory are working on a way to keep up with Norris quickly.

McLaren showed last year that they’re the expert of the mid-season upgrade and if they can replicate that in 2024 then they’ll almost certainly overtake Mercedes before the end of the year.