Lando Norris has revealed his time spent behind Yuki Tsunoda during Formula 1‘s Azerbaijan Grand Prix showcased to him where Red Bull is stronger than McLaren.
McLaren endured a dismal weekend last time out in Baku as Oscar Piastri crashed on the opening lap, while Norris was unable to capitalise as he trailed home sixth.
Their tribulations enabled Max Verstappen to dominate proceedings as he converted pole position to add to his win at Monza and make it consecutive race victories.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella has not discounted the threat that Verstappen could pose in the Drivers’ Championship, despite him languishing 69 points behind Piastri.
But while Verstappen wouldn’t be drawn on whether he is a serious contender to retain his crown, Norris expressed that Red Bull’s upward trend has been no surprise.
“It’s not often that they’re slow, so I think people need to stop being so surprised that they’re quick,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.
“Max was winning races already at the beginning of the year. He could have won round one.
“I think he was pretty close to winning round two, in the Sprint [in China] or something. The whole season, they’ve been quick.
“The Red Bull has been good. They brought some upgrades to Monza, which seems to have helped them improve even more.
“So not a surprise. I think we know that they’re an incredibly strong team and he’s one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1. So we expect nothing less.
“They’re going to make our life difficult, I think, for the rest of the season.”
Norris understands McLaren deficit to Red Bull
A sluggish pitstop consigned Norris to spending the closing stages tucked up behind Tsunoda in the second Red Bull, giving him the chance to observe the RB21.
“We struggled a bit here,” the Briton acknowledged.
“Monza, clearly, we were not quick enough. We’ve made improvements, but things where the Red Bull have been so good and dominated in the past, they still have and we don’t.
“When I was following the Red Bull, there were clearly some areas where they were just another level to us. We need to understand why.”
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