Lando Norris has said he expected reigning world champion Max Verstappen to pose more of a threat during the McLaren driver’s comfortable F1 Dutch Grand Prix 2024 victory to claim his second ever win following his maiden triumph in Miami in May.
Norris started on pole but had to retake the lead after being immediately overtaken by Max Verstappen.
Verstappen saw Norris go past him on lap 18 and finished second for Red Bull, extending the Dutchman’s relatively mixed run of results to one win in eight races.
“I thought Max would be quicker today” 🧐
Lando Norris surprised by Red Bull’s race pace 💭 PIC.TWITTER.COM/2B1ONDFYGE
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) AUGUST 25, 2024
Norris: Dutch GP ‘beautiful’
“I wouldn’t say it was a perfect race because of lap one, but afterwards it was beautiful,” said Norris.
“The pace was very good and the car was very strong. I could push and get past Max, which was the main thing.
“From quite early on – probably lap five, six, seven – I expected Max to start pushing and get a bit of a gap. He never did.
“From that point, I knew we were in with a good fight. He seemed to keep dropping off and my pace was getting better. It’s a nice feeling inside the car, especially when I got past.”
“We tried everything we could today, we weren’t quick enough” 💬
Max Verstappen on his P2 finish at the Dutch Grand Prix 🥈 PIC.TWITTER.COM/BWJPU6XKPG
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) AUGUST 25, 2024
Verstappen: Red Bull car ‘complicated’
Verstappen was pragmatic about the limitations the Dutchman felt his car had imposed on his challenge.
“We had a good start,” he said. “We tried everything we could today but, throughout the race, it was clear that we were not quick enough.
“I’m not surprised with how my feeling was in the car. I couldn’t do anything. When I steer left, it feels like the car is not steering left immediately or it doesn’t turn how I want to.
“It’s very, very complicated to understand that and how we can fix it. When Lando was behind, he was just waiting for the opportunity.
“From that point onwards, I was just focused on bringing it to the end in the best possible position.
“It’s not easy. There are a few things we are looking at. Hopefully we can improve the situation quickly but only time will tell.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed third, with team-mate Carlos Sainz fifth behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
