by VALERIO BARRETTA
World Cup, Norris tries
The Dutch Grand Prix could be a very important crossroads of the season. McLaren will bring the first major package of updates from Miami to Zandvoort, while Red Bull will still play defense, in that Hungaroring version that Max Verstappen he had not liked it very much judging from the fists on the wheel after qualifying. If it was right at the Dutchman’s home the Woking team and Lando Norris were to finally cash in, with a currently superior car, the 78 points in the Drivers’ Championship would be an easier mountain to climb, because Super Max would have much more pressure on his shoulders.
Norris’s words
Norris is also under pressure, however. The #4 knows he can’t make any more mistakes if he wants to hope for the World Championship: “I am fighting for a championship and I will not be happy if I do not perform at the level needed to beat Max, Red Bull and the other drivers. I am still very happy with how the season went, but I made too many mistakes and lost too many points: it’s not the level I need to have if I want to fight for the championship against a driver like Max“, these are the words of the British. “In what areas do I need to improve? It’s a combination of things, but it starts from the first lap, that’s where I lost most of my opportunities, because then the races were very good. But they were overshadowed by a bad start or a bad turn-1 where I tried to maybe stay out of trouble.“.
“The title, of course, is still within reach. But I have a lot of points of detachment and I am against Max, so it will be difficult. I want to be optimistic and say that there are still possibilities. Given how we are doing, I still want to believe that it is possible“, he continued. “After the first half of the season, I was not up to the level of a world championit’s simple. I have done it at times, but little things that have bothered me along the way. And they are mistakes that I cannot afford to make“.
“Even though I may not have finished the first part of 2024 as I would have liked, I am very satisfied with how things went in general. The break gave me the chance to review some aspects at the start, where the problems were never generated by a single cause. Even when the starts were not bad, I think I was overtaken by those who perhaps had started better. So I lost a victory at Montmeló: my start was not perfect, while Max started better.“.
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