Lando Norris stated that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix demonstrated that McLaren is not as significantly ahead of the competition as some have suggested this season.
His teammate, Oscar Piastri, won the race starting from second position, taking the lead in the championship standings over Norris. However, Piastri`s victory margin over Red Bull`s Max Verstappen was only 2.8 seconds. Verstappen had earlier served a five-second penalty during his pit stop for cutting the first corner while battling wheel-to-wheel with Piastri.
Norris himself put in a strong recovery drive, finishing fourth after starting 10th on the grid due to a qualifying crash. He attempted to overtake Charles Leclerc for third place late in the race but fell just one second short of the Ferrari.
When questioned about the strong performance of Red Bull and Ferrari, Norris commented, `I`m not sure why people are surprised; they`ve been just as fast as us in most sessions and in the race.`
`People make assumptions based on our practice pace, but it`s not the full picture.`
`They can say what they want. We don’t think we have a big advantage, and the race showed that. Max was probably the fastest today if not for the penalty, so we still have improvements to make.`
Reflecting on his race and the team`s performance, Norris mentioned he was generally satisfied with his recovery and result, despite starting further back. `I create challenges for myself,` he admitted.
`I believe fourth was the best possible outcome today,` Norris added. He now trails Piastri by 10 points in the championship after five races.
`It`s disappointing to miss the podium, we were close. It`s always difficult to judge these situations.`
`Charles had a strong race, especially in the first stint, which gave him an advantage with tire strategy in the second half.`
`I think I pitted only a few laps later, not enough to catch him. Overall, I`m content, but I make things harder for myself, particularly in a race like this. It would be much simpler to drive at the front.`
`In some respects, it`s easier at the front, so I need to improve my Saturdays.`
Norris also communicated a similar message to his team over the radio, stating, `I just need to focus on better Saturdays, and we`ll be in a good position.`
