Martin Brundle shares what he was ‘told’ about McLaren upgrades after crushing Lando Norris win

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Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen by nearly 23 seconds to win the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend. It was an ominous demonstration of what the upgraded McLaren could do.

Verstappen was the only driver who had taken victory by such a margin since 2021, when he was battling with Lewis Hamilton. But Norris’ pole-win-fastest-lap clean sweep suggests McLaren could be dominant until the end of the season.

The 24-year-old produced one of the most impressive qualifying laps of the season so far on Saturday, setting the pace by three and a half tenths. However, he threatened to waste that spectacular effort when he lost the lead into the first corner after excessive wheelspin.

It took him 18 laps to repass Verstappen but once he did so, he cruised to the chequered flag. He’s now 70 points behind in the championship, so still requires a historic turnaround.

Martin Brundle suspects Verstappen backed off once it became clear that he couldn’t live with Norris. That way, he could send Red Bull a message in ‘capital letters’ that they had ‘urgent’ work to do.

As for the other challengers, Ferrari exceeded expectations by finishing third and fifth, while Mercedes endured a miserable afternoon in seventh and eighth. Marc Priestley had claimed Mercedes were Norris’ biggest problem in the title race after a run of three wins in four.

Martin Brundle shares how McLaren’s Zandvoort upgrades were worth

Writing in his post-race column for Sky Sports F1, Brundle offered some insight on McLaren’s latest upgrades. They arrived at the first race following the summer break with a second major package of the season.

The official FIA documents detailed six changes to the car, including a new front and rear suspension and changes to the floor. McLaren also introduced a high-downforce rear wing, but they’ll only be able to run that at suitable circuits.

For instance, it will be of little use in Monza this weekend given the famously high-speed nature of the circuit. But most of the upgrades will still be fitted.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

According to Brundle, they’re worth about a third of the Miami developments, in terms of performance gains. After wiping out the gap to Red Bull, McLaren’s aim was to establish a buffer of their own, and the early indications are exciting.

“We were told this upgrade was worth about 30 per cent of the improvement they made back in Miami, which changed the game for the team at the time,” Brundle wrote. “So not only theoretically worthwhile, but unlike some teams, also positively measurable on the stopwatch.”

Martin Brundle on the issue that could get into Lando Norris’ head

If Norris can win again in Monza, he’ll reduce Verstappen’s lead into at least the low 60s. He then needs to hope that Red Bull are off the pace in Singapore, as they were last year, so he can make larger inroads.

David Coulthard fears McLaren will regret the Hungarian GP, when they imposed team orders so Oscar Piastri could take a deserved win. It’s conceivable, if still unlikely, that those seven points will be key.

Virtual perfection will be required if Norris is to give himself a realistic shot at the championship heading into the final race. That means ironing out his recent race-start issues.

Brundle says starts can be a mental game, both in a positive and negative sense. When you’re struggling, you can lose out on a Saturday night, ‘let alone on a Sunday afternoon’.