Most powerful car, but ...
McLaren driver Norris: “That would be pretty stupid”
Lando Norris triumphed in Zandvoort on Sunday. The McLaren driver considers title thoughts to be "pretty stupid" despite the superior victory.
Alarm bells are ringing at Red Bull Racing. The world champion team no longer has the strongest car in Formula 1, as the first race after the summer break on Sunday in Zandvoort impressively demonstrated. McLaren driver Lando Norris dominated triple world champion Max Verstappen's home race in the Netherlands at will.
Verstappen did damage limitation in second place and still has a 70-point lead on his closest rival Norris in the championship.
Nevertheless, the bulls have already started to ponder. "We have to think about a few things, because this lead of 70 points is not enough with nine races still to go," motorsport consultant Helmut Marko calculated on ServusTV. McLaren's current performance is too convincing. The rejuvenated traditional team is experiencing a renaissance, winning three races in one season for the first time since 2012. In the constructors' championship, they are already considered the favorites with a deficit of just 30 points to Red Bull.
Even before the major upgrade that brought them to Zandvoort, the team in orange had set the pace on a number of circuits - but failed to translate this into results. If they succeed on Sunday at the classic in Monza, the pressure on the Bulls would increase further. However, Norris does not want to worry about a title chance just yet after his second GP win. "I've worked hard all year and I'm still 70 points behind Max," emphasized the 24-year-old Englishman. "It would be pretty stupid to think about anything at this moment."
Marko: "There are a few things in the pipeline"
In fact, no driver in F1 history has ever made up such a deficit and gone on to become world champion. Nevertheless, time is pressing for Red Bull. "We know roughly where the problems lie," said Marko. "There needs to be more balance in the car, the drivers need more confidence." This would also help to get a better grip on the glaring problems with tire wear in the Dutch dunes. "There are a few things in the pipeline," said the Styrian. "How quickly will they come? In view of this defeat, it's more likely to be yesterday than today."
Wings too high
Verstappen was more than 22 seconds down on Norris in the end. The defending champion had overtaken his rival at the start. Marko blamed technical specifications such as a wing setting that was too high for Verstappen's lack of chances. In the second stint, even his much-maligned team-mate Sergio Perez was faster than the local hero. It will also depend on the Mexican whether the team can hold its own in the constructors' championship, which the Austrian-English racing team has dominated in the past two years.
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