Do McLaren now have the fastest car in F1?
McLaren bosses quizzed whether they possess the best car in Formula 1
McLaren bosses have played down questions about having the fastest car in F1 despite Lando Norris’ win at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris claimed pole position on Saturday then converted it into victory on Sunday by a margin of 22 seconds ahead of second-place Max Verstappen.
With Red Bull now winless in the past five races, Zandvoort could be the moment remembered as McLaren’s takeover as having the best car in the sport.
“It was a big gap,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown said to Sky Sports.
“We knew that we were fast all weekend. I am not shocked but I am pleasantly surprised at the size of the gap.
“Once Lando got into clean air he controlled it pretty easily.
“We don’t know about each track until we get there.
“The upgrades clearly worked. We need to keep our feet on the ground and not assume that will be a repeat every weekend.”
He was asked if McLaren’s car is now faster than the once-mighty Red Bull RB20, and he answered: “I think it’s hard to tell. Clearly we have a very fast car.
“We have more fun stuff coming at Monza which is a different type of track. I think Red Bull will be quick there.”
Team principal Andrea Stella added: “Having the fastest car depends on the conditions.
“Barcelona, Hungary, here… it suited our car. Now having upgraded, let’s see if it can be the best car at every venue. This is the objective.”
Stella said about Norris’ win: “Satisfying, beyond expectation.
“We knew the car was performing well but today was a positive surprise, in terms of how fast it was.
“It’s great that Lando could capitalise with a dominant victory. Oscar got stuck in traffic, he deserved a podium and he could have attacked Verstappen.”
McLaren are now just 30 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
“We are in a strong trend and we should believe in it,” Stella said about toppling Red Bull.
“We’ll give our best but we are fighting Red Bull who have been dominant in previous seasons.
“We have the performance to give it a go.”
Sky Sports’ Bernie Collins analysed: “Last year they were the most improved team. We thought ‘can it continue?’
“It’s more remarkable this year. To win with this margin, we were not expecting that. To get pole with that margin, we did not expect that.”
The F1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend offers McLaren - who promise to bring new upgrades - another opportunity to claw at Red Bull.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
