Lando Norris hits back at critics after McLaren star called out by Dutch GP interviewer
Lando Norris's ability has been placed under the microscope ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lando Norris has defended his ability on race starts, describing himself as ‘one of the best’ on the grid. The Brit’s efficiency off the line has been questioned this season and was called into question by former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer during the post-qualifying interviews on Saturday.
Norris was in a league of his own during qualifying, storming to pole position by a margin of three-tenths of a second, with team-mate Oscar Piastri five-tenths further back in third place. However, the points are won on Sunday, and the Brit now faces a tough battle against Max Verstappen.
After clinching the pole in style, Norris met Palmer for his interview. The former Renault driver asked: “And looking forward to tomorrow. It's a shorter run to the first corner than Barcelona and Budapest. Can you hang on to it?”
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This question prompted a bemused response from Norris. “I don't know why you're saying that, but I'm excited for tomorrow,” he replied with a hint of a smirk. “I'm sure it's going to be tough.
“Max has been quick all weekend. I know we got him today, but he's still second and he's going to be putting up a good fight, especially at his home race. So I'm looking forward to it.”
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Norris revisited the matter in the post-qualifying press conference as he sought to set the record straight. “Yes. I mean, it’s obvious,” he said. “I know my starts have not been my forte over the last probably… They’ve not been bad, honestly, I’m still up there with being one of the best average starters.
“I’ve just missed out on a couple of races and maybe slightly worse than what it’s been over the course of a season. There’s a couple of times when they’ve not been quite where they need to be. There have been a couple of times I’ve been on the front row.
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“So like I said, they’ve not been for any certain reason. They’ve been different things each time. But I feel confident I put in a good amount of work to kind of try and make my starts a bit better. And tomorrow’s a new day.”
As McLaren continue to cement their status as the fastest team on the grid, Norris will need to maximise his returns from pole position. The 24-year-old heads into the Dutch GP with a 78-point deficit to hunt down as he fights for a maiden Drivers’ Championship crown.
