Norris forced to pinch himself: 'That has surprised us'
F1 News
McLaren are hunting down Red Bull Racing with 10 Grand Prix weekends remaining in the 2024 Formula 1 season when it restarts at the end of August. Lando Norris has admitted his shock and surprise by the British team's position while Oscar Piastri warns Red Bull about a key strength on the horizon for McLaren.
With 10 Grands Prix remaining, plus three sprint weekends, anything is possible for McLaren. They have a 42-point deficit to Red Bull Racing, which is a gap that could be overturned in just one race weekend. McLaren has outscored Red Bull in each of the last four Grand Prix weekends, so the British team have momentum going into the summer break. Brown previously spoke about Perez staying in the seat, which would give McLaren the best chance of a title fight.
McLaren shock and surprise
2023 was one of Formula 1's most dominant (if not the most dominant) season by a single team. Red Bull won all but one race and they started 2024 on the front foot as well. Some within Formula 1 felt like Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing already had one hand on the trophies for 2024 AND 2025 after just a few races earlier this year. Lando Norris himself has admitted just how much a shock this has been to himself.
"I think the extent of the success has maybe surprised us a little bit, but it is always a nice surprise when you are winning more trophies than you thought," Norris told Sky Sports. Norris has stood on the podium eight times in 2024. Out of the 14 races so far, only Verstappen has secured more podium finishes. However, and crucially, Norris has only won one single race. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, only has one win as well but the Australia warns Red Bull about the rest of the season.
"At the end of last year, we had a very quick car on certain circuits, but we really needed to rely on those circuits to get good results. This year, we've just been quick everywhere, and that's been a joy to be a part of, but a real confidence boost to everybody that we're not relying on the high-speed corners like we were last year. We can rock up and be pretty confident we'll be, if not the quickest, then one of the quickest," Piastri said.
Before firing a warning about himself: "I feel like I'm growing in confidence. Getting some more good results and just learning more through my second year as well," Piastri explained. Piastri himself has outscored Norris in three of the last four events as he finds more and more consistent form at the front of the grid.