ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) 鈥� Lando Norris says he doesn’t yet have a car capable of vying for the title despite back-to-back Grand Prix wins but he could 鈥渨in every race鈥� remaining this season if McLaren manages to solve its biggest vulnerability.
The F1 defending champion boosted his title chances with on Sunday after a daring pass on standings leader Kimi Antonelli in the process.
鈥淚 know I鈥檝e just won two races and had two poles in a row, but at the minute I don鈥檛 have the car I need to fight for a championship,鈥� Norris said after the race. He added that the right changes to target McLaren’s troubles in slow-speed corners could set him up to chase down Mercedes driver Antonelli.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very, very strong in high-speed (corners), and that鈥檚 the place we鈥檝e improved the car the most … No one matches us in high speed, and that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� Norris said.
However, Norris added that 鈥淢ercedes’ advantage that they have to us in slow speed is also crazy.鈥�
Norris urged McLaren not to get 鈥渃omplacent鈥� and to focus on improving how the car handles in low-speed corners to unlock its full potential.
鈥淚f we can improve on these slow speeds, I鈥檓 confident that I can win every race this season. If we don鈥檛, then it鈥檚 much more difficult to believe so,鈥� he said.
Meanwhile, Antonelli suggested Mercedes is 鈥渃learly not the fastest car anymore on the grid.鈥�
Spending the right money at the right time
Exactly how McLaren can go about making Norris’ wish come true is unclear.
F1’s 鈥渃ost cap鈥� limits how much teams can spend in key design areas. An earlier upgrade has more time to take effect but, as the season goes on, teams understand more about their cars and have more chances to copy ideas from rivals.
That means it’s a question of how much money to leave in reserve and when to spend it.
Mercedes started the year with the fastest car, winning the first six Grand Prix races. Team principal suggested Sunday that the team didn’t have the freedom to spend on major changes and so 鈥渢he ride has been a bit tougher than at the beginning of the year.鈥�
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has his doubts. He said he was 鈥減retty sure鈥� that Mercedes has some performance-boosting ideas in reserve.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure they will now cash in on their development that surely is happening in the background,鈥� Stella added.
McLaren’s boss says Norris is picking his battles
Norris is more confident than ever on the track and he’s getting better at picking his moment to strike, Stella argued.
The highlight of Norris’ race was an audacious overtaking move around the outside of Antonelli, reacting fast to the Italian’s own failed attempt to pass Lewis Hamilton.
Norris’ confidence shines through in a willingness to wait for the best chance to win, rather than rushing, Stella said.
鈥淭he self-confidence sometimes is not demonstrated by being the most aggressive,鈥� Stella said. 鈥淚n both the last couple of races that he won he didn鈥檛 defend the pole position, he was actually second at the end of the first lap. I did not hear or perceive any decay in his confidence as to the fact that he was fast. He was just preparing his opportunity and then cashing in on his competitiveness.鈥�
Norris said he was improving on track but credited his Dutch GP win to smart work with the team to fix the car’s setup after he failed to for pace in Saturday’s sprint.
That 鈥渋s a perfect example of the work we put in overnight transformed our race and gave me the opportunity to win,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he work we put in away from the track is certainly a huge part of that.鈥�
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