Lando Norris makes Max Verstappen point people ‘hate’ to hear after Dutch Grand Prix

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Lando Norris has closed the gap on Max Verstappen to 70 points ahead of the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. He still has a slight chance of winning the world championship this year.

Norris won the Dutch GP by 22.9 seconds, the largest margin for a driver not named Verstappen since Lewis Hamilton in 2021. It was a frightening demonstration of what the upgraded McLaren could do.

The Englishman still requires a truly historic turnaround if he’s to deny Verstappen a fourth straight title. Zandvoort was a must-win, and the same is arguably true of Monza.

Norris would be much closer to the 26-year-old if he and McLaren had maximised their potential before the summer break. He led in Canada and Great Britain, but strategic errors cost him.

The 22-time podium finisher also failed to convert his pole positions in Spain and Hungary. In fact, last weekend marked the first pole-win-fastest-lap clean sweep of his career.

Norris really ought to be far more than an outsider at this stage. Virtual perfection is required across the last nine races.

Lando Norris points out Max Verstappen was ‘very quick’ at Hungarian Grand Prix

Speaking in the post-race press conference on Sunday, Norris admitted that he’d had ‘the best car’ on average over the course of the season. Verstappen and Red Bull were dominant until China, but since then he’s only outscored the McLaren star by 18 points (185 vs 167).

Zandvoort was the first weekend where the Woking outfit looked ‘dominant’. They may have scored a one-two in Budapest, but Norris insists Verstappen’s pace was ‘very, very strong’.

If the championship is decided by a small margin, many will pick out the Hungarian GP as a key moment. After expressing much reluctance, Norris agreed to move over for teammate Oscar Piastri after benefitting from an undercut.

Verstappen finished fifth in that race, matching his poorest result of the season. He had been battling Lewis Hamilton for the final podium place before a late collision.

“Today, this whole weekend, I think we’ve had the best car,” Norris said. “I think we’ve, on average, had the best car, for sure. We’ve not had a dominant car at any point this season, I would say.

“Even if you go back to Hungary, as much as people hate me to say it, Max was still very quick in Hungary. He just didn’t have a great race, but his pace was still very, very strong.”

What Martin Brundle loved about Lando Norris’ Zandvoort win

Norris launched a playful dig at Verstappen after beating him at his home Grand Prix. He used his rival’s ‘simply lovely’ catchphrase as he celebrated on the team radio, catching the attention of David Croft and Martin Brundle.

He initially lost the lead into the first corner with another poor start, but he began to reel Verstappen in as the race settled. At the second attempt, he got past the reigning world champion with the aid of DRS and proceeded to build a commanding lead.

Brundle said it was vital Norris kept his head after falling behind. It would have been easy to grow disheartened after spurning the advantage of a special pole lap.

Monza, known as the ‘temple of speed’, is very different in character to Zandvoort. But McLaren seem to have the most versatile car in F1, so Norris should be confident of adding to his 2021 podium – this time on the top step.