What Jolyon Palmer ‘loved’ about Lando Norris during the Dutch Grand Prix

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Lando Norris put on a dominant display during the Dutch Grand Prix when he won by over 20 seconds from Max Verstappen.

It was the first time someone other than Max Verstappen won at Zandvoort since it was reintroduced in 2021, and Lando Norris achieved a feat that had not been done since Lewis Hamilton the same year when he crossed the line 22.8 seconds ahead.

Although Norris lost the lead of the race again on the down to the first corner, he quickly recovered after 18 laps and retook it from Verstappen with the help of DRS.

Martin Brundle highlighted how ‘important’ it was for Norris to keep a cool head when he was passed by Verstappen, especially given it was the sixth time of asking that he failed to lead from pole.

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer pointed out another aspect of Norris’ race that he ‘loved’ when analysing it on F1 TV.

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Jolyon Palmer points out one thing he ‘loved’ about Lando Norris’ Dutch GP

As Norris pulled away from Verstappen he built up enough of a gap towards the end of the race that nearly covered a pit stop.

What was even more remarkable was his fastest lap attempt on the final lap of the race, which Norris did not consult his McLaren team before setting.

The Briton spent the final four laps of the race harvesting battery so he could use full deployment on the final lap, enabling him to take the bonus point and come away with the maximum 26 points on offer.

“I loved that from Lando as well, how much he wanted that fastest lap. It was good to see the hunger to get every single point into this part of the season,” said Palmer.

“When you look at what Lando could do in the car, he lost the lead on track to Max and made it back past on track. If Lando was in the second car, I still think he would’ve picked off George in the first stint and Charles in the second stint, maybe Max.”

Damon Hill impressed by Lando Norris after second victory

Even though Norris has been vocal previously about his poor starts, it looked like this was more of a mechanical-related issue that caused his and Oscar Piastri’s slow getaway.

Although team principal Andrea Stella was angry that the bad starts impacted McLaren’s potential for a one-two, the pace from Norris was good enough that there was no question of missing out on a second win in his career.

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

Damon Hill said he was ‘very impressed’ by Norris during the race, having also shown blistering pace throughout the race weekend at Zandvoort.

The win meant McLaren closed the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship to just 30 points, as they look to achieve their first since the 1998 season.