Daily News 19

Tag: Dutch Grand Prix

  • Ferrari Urged to Support Lewis Hamilton as Guenther Steiner Warns of Team Orders

    Ferrari Urged to Support Lewis Hamilton as Guenther Steiner Warns of Team Orders

    Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes Ferrari must establish clear rules of engagement and support Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc if the team is to remain in contention for the 2026 Formula 1 championship.

    Ferrari’s internal driver dynamic came under scrutiny after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where contrasting strategies created tension between Hamilton and Leclerc. Hamilton was running on fresher tyres and had stronger pace, but was held up behind his Ferrari team-mate. The delay cost the seven-time world champion valuable time and led to frustrated radio complaints.

    Steiner calls for clear Ferrari team orders

    Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner argued that Ferrari should have agreed on potential team orders before the race rather than trying to manage the situation during it.

    “You cannot implement team orders during a race,” Steiner explained. “You need to agree them beforehand. The realistic thing is, can Charles really win the world championship? Maybe not. And who is in front? Lewis.

    “I haven’t done the calculations of how realistic it is for him to win the world championship, but if one of the two can win, it is Lewis. So, as somebody else has shown, if you want to win, it’s very tight up front there. You need to put your money on the guy who has got the better chance.

    Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari. Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

    “That’s the guy in front, who has got more points, and that is the only selling point to Charles. ‘Hey buddy, your team-mate has done better up to now. Now he’s number one.’”

    Fred Vasseur must lead Ferrari’s championship strategy

    Steiner said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is responsible for making the team’s position clear to both drivers and deciding whether one driver should receive priority in the title fight.

    “Fred, that is his job,” he said. “I don’t think John Elkann should or would get involved in it because if he gets involved in that one at that stage, he needs to run the team.

    “But I think Fred is very much in control of it because Fred needs to win a world championship.”

  • George Russell Treats Mercedes Team Members to Special Silverstone Karting Event

    George Russell Treats Mercedes Team Members to Special Silverstone Karting Event

    George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ double podium at the Dutch Grand Prix by rewarding team members from the Brackley and Brixworth facilities with a private karting event at Silverstone Circuit.

    Mercedes confirmed the event on social media, posting on X: “Swapping the W17 for the kart. All smiles as George treated team members from both Brackley and Brixworth to a special karting experience at Silverstone.”

    Russell joins Mercedes staff for Silverstone karting day

    The event brought together employees from Mercedes’ main headquarters in Brackley and Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in Brixworth.

    “We’re here at Silverstone doing a team karting day,” Russell told the camera. “A thousand people applied from Brackley and Brixworth, but we can only fit 170 people. Really looking forward to it, and I’m going to be racing with them.”

    After the staff had completed several laps, Russell put on his race suit and joined them on track. He also handed out medals to the participants at the end of the event.

    Fans responded positively to footage of Russell enjoying the day. One commenter on X wrote: “It’s so nice seeing George this happy. It makes you realise how different things could be with a bit more support. Obviously, I’m not talking about Marcus, Katsu, and the others; you know full well who the problem is…”

    Another fan added: “I really love how happy George looks for the entire day. He really loves this team.”

    Some comments took a more sarcastic tone, including: “Just give him the kart at Monza. Probably be more reliable” and “He finally gets a reliable car, no wonder he’s happy.”

    Mercedes leads 2026 constructors’ championship

    The karting event comes during a strong 2026 campaign for Mercedes. The team currently leads the constructors’ championship with 425 points, while Ferrari is second on 338 points.

    Russell sits second in the drivers’ championship, 59 points behind his team-mate Kimi Antonelli. He is level on points with Lewis Hamilton.

    The 13th round of the season will be held at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix weekend from 4-6 September.

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Mercedes puzzled by why it was “rubbish” through high-speed corners at Dutch GP

    Mercedes puzzled by why it was “rubbish” through high-speed corners at Dutch GP

    Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin described the team’s performance through Zandvoort’s high-speed corners as “rubbish” as Mercedes investigates its inconsistent pace during the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

    Mercedes made a strong start to the Zandvoort weekend, with George Russell taking pole position and winning the sprint race. However, the team fell behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, who secured pole and victory in the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Mercedes still finished second and third in qualifying and the race. Kimi Antonelli finished ahead of team-mate Russell to extend his championship lead to 59 points, but Mercedes was unable to explain why its early pace failed to carry through the rest of the weekend against its main rival.

    “We’ve got a few things on the performance side to try and dig into,” Shovlin said on Mercedes’ Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “We’re going to be getting on with that this week and see what we learn.

    “But there were a few corners where we were pretty rubbish, like that combination of [Turns] 7, 8, 9. You could see [it in] the faster-speed [curves]. And it also gives the tyres on the left-hand side of the car a tough time. And we don’t really understand yet fully what’s causing that.

    “We’ve got some ideas, but that’s not a problem that we’ve suffered with so far this year. And there’s plenty of circuits that have got kind of continued corners in one direction.

    “We were a bit off the pace in the fastest of those [turns]. And then our problems kind of grew a bit as we went through. All the other corners look solid.”

    Mercedes struggled to explain differing tyre performance

    Mercedes’ confusion was compounded by the limited changes made to the cars between the sprint race and the grand prix, as well as during the race itself. Shovlin acknowledged that pace can vary depending on tyre compound and tyre life, but both drivers experienced problems at different stages of the race.

    “We didn’t change the car. We obviously had different compounds at different stages. But again, we need to understand a bit,” he said.

    “George’s first stint was a bit lacklustre compared to his later ones. And then with Kimi, first stint was good, and then dropped a bit on the second, dropped a bit more on the third, a bit came back on the third. It wasn’t like we were playing around with electronic settings or up and down on flap angles. And for him, the balance of the car was quite different stint on stint.

    “The two drivers, normally they report similar things with a car at the end of the race. Both of them, their perception of the balance, and probably the reality is George had a more understeery car, Kimi had a more oversteery car. If we look at how they were set up, we don’t yet know quite why we got such a big difference.

    “So, though, really good to have a strong point-scoring weekend when we weren’t at our best in terms of performance. It was actually good fun, sat on the pitwall and having to make decisions in a hurry. I think the whole team enjoyed that and rose to the occasion. And it was definitely a good result, given where we were.

    “But yeah, a bit of head-scratching to do over the next few days.”

    Mercedes records second-highest points haul of the season

    Despite its lack of clarity over the pace loss, Mercedes scored 46 points at Zandvoort, its second-highest team total of the season. Only its 55-point haul at the Chinese Grand Prix was higher, although both events were sprint weekends with more points available.

  • Zak Brown Explains Why He Chose the Washington, D.C., IndyCar Race Over the Dutch GP

    Zak Brown Explains Why He Chose the Washington, D.C., IndyCar Race Over the Dutch GP

    McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown chose to attend IndyCar’s first Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., rather than the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, despite McLaren ultimately securing pole position and victory with Lando Norris.

    Speaking to Will Buxton in an interview with SPEED, Brown explained that his decision was based on where he could have the greatest commercial impact across McLaren’s racing operations.

    “I’d like to be at both, but I’ve not been able to figure that out,” said Brown. “So, I use my double-triple top-secret laptop to dial into Holland. My role is to go where I can have the most impact on our racing teams, where’s the most commercial activity, the biggest growth for the different racing series we’re in and the teams.

    “And this race is epic. I’ve not seen anything like it, so I needed to be here, and fortunately, when you have a great group of people, reality is — don’t tell anyone — but our three racing teams can survive just fine when I don’t make a race weekend.

    “Witnessed the pole Lando has in Holland (interview took place before race day), so it’s a little bit more difficult for me to take credit for that. I’ve told my three guys (in IndyCar), someone needs to have a pole here so I can take credit for it here.”

    The commercial impact of IndyCar’s Washington race

    The IndyCar event attracted several prominent business leaders, as well as the president of the United States. FOX later reported that the Freedom 250 Grand Prix was IndyCar’s most-watched non-Indy 500 race since 1995, averaging more than 3.2 million viewers.

    “At the end of the day, that’s why I’m here,” said Brown. “We’ve got great partners in Holland, but this is new, so we have a lot of first-time partners here, a lot of prospects here, the attention that this has brought to IndyCar, the NTT IndyCar Series is awesome, and so, I had to be here. It’s kind of a no-brainer.”

    While Norris went on to win the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position, Arrow McLaren narrowly missed out on victory in Washington. Christian Lundgaard finished second behind race winner Kyle Kirkwood, while McLaren teammates Nolan Siegel and Pato O’Ward placed sixth and 16th, respectively.

    Brown later praised the Washington event and described it as a tremendous success.

    Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren

    Photo by: Penske Entertainment

  • James Vowles Reveals Williams’ “huge number of projects” to Fix 2026 Problems

    James Vowles Reveals Williams’ “huge number of projects” to Fix 2026 Problems

    Williams team principal James Vowles says the Grove-based Formula 1 team is managing a “huge number of projects” to correct development mistakes made during the winter that continue to affect its 2026 campaign.

    Williams targeting long-term performance fixes

    Speaking in his post-race The Vowles Verdict debrief after a difficult Dutch Grand Prix, Vowles said Williams is restructuring behind the scenes to identify and address the reasons for its current lack of performance.

    “As you saw, we announced both driver contracts last week, and it’s hard to put into words what it means to the organisation when that happens,” he said. “But it’s a monumental change. We have made mistakes this winter, which we’re still paying for today, and the drivers are paying for on the car that we’ve delivered on track.

    “What was great is when we started to show the future that’s beyond here, one that’s more around the long term, their commitment came to the forefront. And that’s really important to me. It’s important to the team. It’s important to everyone because ultimately we’re here and we know we have a pathway to go, but we’re here fighting as a team.”

    Williams ended speculation over its driver line-up before the Dutch Grand Prix, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both signing contract extensions. Albon agreed to a one-year extension that will keep him at Williams until the end of 2027, while Sainz signed a multi-year deal.

    Although some updated car components are scheduled to arrive later in the season, Vowles said the Williams factory is prioritising fixes designed to improve the team’s long-term competitiveness.

    “We have huge numbers of projects, though, in the background to make sure that we’re just digging out what went wrong this winter and fixing for the long term,” Vowles added. “And that’s our commitment today as it will be in six months’ time.”

    Williams currently sits ninth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with 11 points.

  • Naomi Schiff Points to Red Bull Advantage Following Dutch GP Driver Change

    Naomi Schiff Points to Red Bull Advantage Following Dutch GP Driver Change

    Red Bull’s driver swap for the Dutch Grand Prix has reignited discussion about the advantages of Formula 1 teams operating under shared ownership.

    After Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist fracture before the race weekend at Zandvoort, the Milton Keynes-based team promoted Liam Lawson from sister outfit Racing Bulls. Lawson joined Max Verstappen for the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Racing Bulls then promoted reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda to partner rookie Arvid Lindblad, filling the vacancy created by Lawson’s move.

    Red Bull benefits from shared driver pool

    Former W Series driver and Sky Sports analyst Naomi Schiff said Red Bull benefited from promoting a driver already familiar with the 2026-specification cars, rather than relying on a reserve driver with less experience in the machinery.

    “It seems to be a little bit of an advantage to be able to put someone in who’s already currently driving these cars and I guess Ferrari is the only other team that would probably call on Oliver Bearman,” Schiff explained during an episode of the Up To Speed podcast after co-host and former F1 driver David Coulthard claimed there is a “strength and depth” in Red Bull in that it can pull in drivers from its sister team.

    “Whereas Mercedes have Fred Vesti, who travels with them to most of the races, so it would most likely be him. I do think it works out to be an advantage for Liam, but I think that doesn’t take away from the fact that that was probably a daunting environment for him to step back into, although it does look very different than what it was, what he left behind.”

    Lawson finished the Dutch Grand Prix in seventh place, scoring six points for Red Bull. The team has not yet confirmed whether Hadjar will return for the Italian Grand Prix.

  • Mercedes on Dutch GP team orders: We would’ve done the exact same thing the other way around

    Mercedes on Dutch GP team orders: We would’ve done the exact same thing the other way around

    Mercedes has reviewed its Dutch Grand Prix team orders and remains convinced that asking Kimi Antonelli to pass George Russell late in the Formula 1 race secured a double podium. The team also says it would have made the same decision if the drivers had been in the opposite positions.

    Why Mercedes swapped Antonelli and Russell

    Esteban Ocon triggered a virtual safety car on lap 55 at Zandvoort, with Antonelli running second and Russell fourth, separated by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Both Ferraris pitted immediately, while Antonelli stopped one lap later. The strategy promoted Russell to second, ahead of the three cars that had pitted.

    Running on fresher soft tyres, Antonelli quickly closed on Russell and Mercedes instructed Russell to let his team-mate through. Although Russell initially questioned the call, he complied and spent the remainder of the race defending third place from both Ferraris.

    Antonelli could not catch race winner Lando Norris and finished second. Russell, helped by another late virtual safety car, held off the Ferraris to complete Mercedes’ double podium.

    After Mercedes’ post-race debrief on Monday, deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained why the team had reviewed the decision and remained satisfied with its reasoning.

    “It seemed good, to be honest,” Lord said on Mercedes’ Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “One of the funny consequences of that early red flag was actually we were all sort of hot-footing out of Zandvoort and we actually only had the debrief on Monday after the race rather than Sunday in the immediate aftermath, because things were delayed and then everyone was heading out and both the drivers were in the press conference and have all of their stuff to complete as well.

    “George quite naturally asked the question, just stress-tested it when he first got the communication. But then understood that bigger picture that with Kimi we’d taken the chance of a free stop behind the VSC.

    “If George had made the same stop, he’d have dropped behind one of the Ferraris and given up that podium position regardless. And then really it comes back to what have you talked about beforehand and how clear is how the team’s going to operate. 

    “And we’d been really clear in that Sunday morning strategy meeting that it is too close for us to be able to lose any time at all with our two drivers fighting each other and costing each other time.

    “So that had set the basis then for the decision. And I think it’s fair to say that had that been the other way around, we’d have done exactly the same thing in order to give ourselves the best chance of the P2 finish and to give the car in third, again, the clear air and the best chance of holding position as well.”

    Mercedes rejected tow strategy for Russell

    Mercedes also considered giving Russell a tow and Overtake Mode, which serves a similar purpose to the previous-generation DRS system. However, the team decided against the tactic because the expected benefit was small and the risk of it backfiring was significant.

    “We had the conversation and there was a bit of a debate,” Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director, explained. “In the end, we decided that it’s not a massive gain in terms of lap time there.

    “It’s two tenths. And it’s fair to say that those two tenths is on the straight. So that’s probably the place that you’re going to be vulnerable. 

    “There was also some concern of just the cars getting tangled up if we’re trying to do something clever that we’ve not rehearsed. But given that it isn’t an enormous chunk of lap time and speed at that circuit, we felt actually it would be better to give George the clear air [and] Kimi just gets out the way. 

    “That’s probably George’s best chance of getting a good exit and a good braking, because ultimately you can’t follow with these cars at two tenths. So the way that a Ferrari would have got past him would have been if it made a lot of ground coming out of the final corner or went very, very deep on the brakes.”

    Shovlin praises Russell’s defence

    Shovlin praised Russell for defending through the closing laps to secure Mercedes’ double podium. The result also moved Russell to second in the drivers’ championship, level on points with Hamilton but ahead on wins countback.

    “It’s honestly a really impressive effort by George. You wouldn’t have given him maybe even 50-50 odds of holding both of them back. There’s a good chance that one of them was going to get through,” Shovlin said.

    “Maybe we’re a bit lucky with that VSC that just took the heat out of it for a lap or two and he was able to manage his energy levels.”

  • James Vowles Addresses Alex Albon–Carlos Sainz Collision at Dutch GP

    James Vowles Addresses Alex Albon–Carlos Sainz Collision at Dutch GP

    Williams team principal James Vowles says the team must accept part of the blame for the late-race collision between Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    During a chaotic race at Zandvoort, won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, the two Williams drivers collided while fighting outside the points-paying positions.

    Williams accepts responsibility for Albon and Sainz crash

    Speaking in the team’s post-race video debrief, The Vowles Verdict, the Williams boss addressed the incident.

    “As you saw, Alex and Carlos came together on track,” Vowles explained. “There’s a lot of questions around whose fault it is, whose isn’t it? I’ll start with this. I think with our two drivers, both have a responsibility to not hit each other.

    “It’s hard to do it as a majority to one or the other, but both have a culpability in that. This particular circumstance, actually, I think we as a team have a culpability.”

    According to Vowles, the team’s decision to leave Sainz on worn tyres during the virtual safety car period contributed to the situation.

    “We tried leaving Carlos out at that VSC. The reason why was because had we stopped, he would have been behind Alex and Franco anyway. So you’re back net to where you would have been before, without the pace to be able to overtake them.

    “But that said, this also put our cars into a situation where they were fighting tooth and nail for no points on track. That’s not a situation we should be putting them in either.”

    Albon retired from the race after the collision, while Sainz continued to finish 16th.

    Sainz received a 10-second penalty for the incident, which he described as “fair” after the race.

    “Fair penalty. I had a bit of a surprise when I went to defend,” the Spaniard explained. “I had really worn hard tyres, struggling a lot with the car, with the pace of the race. “And when I went to brake on the inside, there was a massive bump on the inside of Turn 1. When you are further in the inside, the bigger it gets. I just hit with the plank. “I had the front tyres in the air. And as soon as I touched the brake, I locked up and I took Alex with me, which is the worst possible outcome for that race, because it’s not like we were fighting for anything big. But honestly, it caught me so much by surprise. Apologies to him, because it’s the last thing I wanted.”

  • Aston Martin Warns of Tougher Formula 1 Races Ahead

    Aston Martin Warns of Tougher Formula 1 Races Ahead

    Mike Krack says Fernando Alonso’s ninth-place finish at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix was helped by Zandvoort’s track characteristics, while Aston Martin continues to unlock the full potential of its upgraded AMR26.

    After qualifying 18th, Alonso used an opportunistic one-stop strategy to claim an unexpected ninth place, finishing ahead of a frustrated Pierre Gasly.

    Zandvoort suited Aston Martin’s cornering performance

    Most drivers made two pit stops, but Aston Martin needed to adopt an out-of-sync strategy to benefit from the AMR26’s speed through the corners. The Honda-powered car recovered the time it lost on the straights by performing strongly in the circuit’s slower sections.

    Asked whether Aston Martin’s race pace was stronger than its qualifying pace, the team’s chief trackside officer agreed, while warning that less favourable circuits such as Monza and Baku were next on the calendar. Both venues feature some of Formula 1’s longest straights.

    “Since Budapest we know that we’re a bit stronger in the race,” Krack said. “I think Fernando said today our result will depend more or less on how long the straights are.

    “So these were now two races where the straights were a bit on the short side. So we will have tougher races to come, but I think that this is part of the game. You have races where you’re strong, and you have races where you’re less strong. So it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes.”

    Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer of Aston Martin F1 Team

    Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images

    Aston Martin still learning how to use its upgrades

    Aston Martin recorded the second-lowest straight-line speed during qualifying at Zandvoort, reaching 309.5km/h. That was significantly slower than Alpine’s 331.7km/h and only marginally faster than Cadillac’s 309.4km/h.

    The deficit came despite the arrival of Honda’s long-awaited power unit upgrade, which was expected to deliver a substantial performance improvement after the car suffered severe problems earlier in the season. However, the team has made visible progress with the chassis, as demonstrated again in the Netherlands.

    “We get to know this package more and more,” Krack said. “With the large package that we introduced in Budapest, it will take some sessions to learn how to deal with it and to learn how to set it up. And the same goes actually also for the introduction of the power unit now.

    “We need to learn how to use it, we need to learn how to optimise it, and I think it’s going to take us a couple of events, but it was a good step forward.

    Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll both made positive comments over the team radio during the weekend. Krack said those remarks reflected Aston Martin’s growing understanding of its latest package, while acknowledging that the team could not extract its maximum performance in every session.

    “It goes along with what I said in terms of trying to understand the package. If you have changes at this large scale, with the intensity of the sessions, it’s always difficult to get the maximum out of it all the time. And the more sessions we get, the more we will get it under control.

    “But there will always be sessions where you will have a bit more difficulties, some others where it will be easier, and we had quite a good configuration this weekend.”

  • The Numbers Behind Lando Norris’ “pretty insane” Claim About McLaren’s F1 Development

    The Numbers Behind Lando Norris’ “pretty insane” Claim About McLaren’s F1 Development

    Lando Norris has reignited his Formula 1 championship hopes by winning the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, a year after his title ambitions appeared to go up in smoke at the same circuit.

    Norris’ victory, following his earlier win in Budapest, was his second consecutive triumph as reigning world champion. More significantly, it gave him valuable momentum after last year’s DNF at Zandvoort.

    His result reduced his championship deficit to 83 points. By comparison, Max Verstappen was 104 points behind then-leader Oscar Piastri after last year’s Dutch Grand Prix. Verstappen ultimately missed out on the title by just two points, explaining why Norris immediately told his team over the radio:

    “The fight is still on.”

    McLaren development delivers major gains

    Norris’ recent victories highlight the progress McLaren has made during the season. The Woking-based team has led Formula 1’s development race in recent years, and its performance under the latest regulations suggests that trend is continuing.

    “I think we’ve easily done the best job when you look at everything from where we were last year,” Norris said after claiming his 13th F1 victory at Zandvoort.

    “We were always going to start behind this season because of how much we focused on last year. It was inevitable that we were not going to start on the pace this season.

    “But for us to catch up, you know, we’ve outdeveloped them. You’re saying on a track like this, almost a second of development from us as McLaren versus our competitors. So that’s pretty insane, and I think that’s the reason why we’ve also come on pretty strong.”

    Lando Norris, McLaren
    Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

    Race-pace data calculated by data partner Paceteq supports Norris’ assessment. At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, McLaren was an average of 1.34 seconds per lap slower than the Mercedes works team.

    McLaren’s performance then fluctuated. Neither McLaren driver was able to start in China, while Oscar Piastri was unexpectedly quick in Japan. The team’s first major upgrade package arrived in Miami, after which its deficit exceeded one second per lap only in Canada, at 1.10 seconds, and Monaco, at 1.67 seconds.

    Norris attributed those losses to McLaren being:

    “shockingly bad”

    in slow-speed corners.

    Norris credits his own progress for Zandvoort win

    After Norris’ victory, Mercedes suggested that McLaren had become Formula 1’s team to beat. Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes no longer had the fastest car, while team principal Toto Wolff indicated that the budget cap left limited scope for further upgrades.

    Norris rejected the suggestion that McLaren was now clearly the fastest team:

    “Well, they’re not going to say themselves, are they?” the reigning world champion smiled.

    “So, yeah, they’re not going to say themselves. They’re [still] the team to beat even if they just got beaten today, so I don’t think it’s true.”

    Lando Norris, McLaren
    Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

    The McLaren driver also said his own performance played an important role in the Zandvoort result, particularly his decisive overtakes on Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.

    “I think if I didn’t get Kimi when I overtook him, I don’t think I would have won the race today. You know, it’s hard to say, but I also know how good of a job I’m doing behind the wheel.

    “And of course I’m never one to overtalk about myself, normally always the complete opposite. But for once I would give myself a little bit of credit that I feel like I’m doing a better job than everyone, and I think that can also make a difference.”

    The combination of Norris’ current form and McLaren’s development trajectory has kept his hopes of defending the world title alive, although he accepts that a significant gap remains.

    “I’m still [more than] 80 points behind, so I wouldn’t say it’s that close. But I do think it’s close,” he insisted.

    “It’s relatively close for a new regulation, that’s for sure. It’s definitely closer than what previous years have been with new regulations.”