RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Lando Norris says he doesn't yet have a car capable of vying for the Formula 1 title despite back-to-back Grand Prix wins but he could “win every race” remaining this season if McLaren manages to solve its biggest vulnerability.
The F1 defending champion boosted his title chances with victory at the Dutch GP on Sunday after a daring pass on standings leader Kimi Antonelli in the process.
“I know I’ve just won two races in a row and had two poles in a row, but at the minute I don’t have the car I need to fight for a championship,” 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.
“We’re very, very strong in high-speed (corners), and that’s the place we’ve improved the car the most ... No one matches us in high speed, and that’s a good thing,” Norris said.
However, Norris added that “Mercedes' advantage that they have to us in slow speed is also crazy.”
Norris urged McLaren not to get “complacent” and to focus on improving how the car handles in low-speed corners to unlock its full potential.
“If we can improve on these slow speeds, I’m confident that I can win every race this season. If we don’t, then it’s much more difficult to believe so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Antonelli suggested Mercedes is “clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid.”
Spending the right money at the right time
Exactly how McLaren can go about making Norris' wish come true is unclear.
F1's “cost cap” 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 Toto Wolff suggested Sunday that the team didn't have the freedom to spend on major changes and so “the ride has been a bit tougher than at the beginning of the year.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has his doubts. He said he was “pretty sure” that Mercedes has some performance-boosting ideas in reserve.
“I’m sure they will now cash in on their development that surely is happening in the background,” 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.
“The self-confidence sometimes is not demonstrated by being the most aggressive,” Stella said. “In both the last couple of races that he won he didn’t 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.”
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 match Mercedes for pace in Saturday's sprint.
That “is a perfect example of the work we put in overnight transformed our race and gave me the opportunity to win,” he said. “The work we put in away from the track is certainly a huge part of that.”
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