Lando Norris shocked by Max Verstappen’s pace at Dutch Grand Prix

Lando Norris has revealed he was surprised by the lack of pace shown by his main rival Max Verstappen after he was awarded a Impressive victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Briton finished one place ahead of reigning world champion and home favourite Verstappen to claim his second Formula 1 victory.

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Ferrari star Charles Leclerc caused a surprise third after looking off the pace for much of the weekend.

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Norris overcame a dismal start which allowed him to relinquish the lead of the race from pole within a few seconds, before overtaking the championship leader on lap 18.

From there he never looked back, delivering a flawless race to finish over 22 seconds ahead of the chasing group, and in turn, closing the gap at the front of the Drivers ranking at 70 points.

Reflecting on his triumph after the race, the 24-year-old admitted he was surprised at how easily he closed the gap to Verstappen in the opening minutes and then opened up a sizeable advantage after retaking the lead.

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“Saturday is always a good indicator of what you can do and we were very quick yesterday so we had high hopes,” he said. “The car was very nice to drive.

“I thought Max would be quicker than he was. He seemed to be the exception as he came back behind the Ferraris, which was a surprise.”

Asked whether he was now in a title fight with the Dutchman, Norris insisted he had always had Red Bull in his sights.

“I’ve been going all year, it’s not like I decided to do it now! I’ve had the car for a while, obviously. It’s phenomenal.

“I wouldn’t say we were the best since Miami, but on average we were. We had chances to beat Max and we didn’t. But that’s in the past.”

“We have tried to improve in many areas and a result like today proves it. It seems like a good start to the second half of the year.”

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