(Spielberg) Lando Norris has closed the speed gap to Max Verstappen and will now try to beat the Formula 1 champion at Red Bull’s home circuit.
Norris piloted his McLaren to two second places in a row behind Verstappen. This weekend he faces the challenge of overtaking the Dutchman at the Red Bull Ring, where Verstappen has won four of the last six races.
Verstappen won a third consecutive drivers’ championship last year, triumphing in 19 of 23 races. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez won two, leaving the other two to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
Verstappen is still at the top this season with seven wins in 10 races, but other drivers have given him a hard time.
Norris has emerged as its main contender since scoring his first career victory in May in Miami. Verstappen had started from the leading position, but a costly error caused him to slip.
Norris took second behind Verstappen in Montreal three weeks ago, and he had another strong performance in Spain last week. The Briton secured the lead position, but a bad start cost him victory.
Verstappen acknowledged that McLaren was, at least for now, better in some areas, notably when it came to tyre life.
“McLaren is very strong right now,” he said Thursday. They are good everywhere, on every track. I also think you could see it in Barcelona. They were very good with their tires. They could simply attack more compared to everyone else on the grid. Lando was catching up a lot. »
Norris moved up to second in the drivers’ standings, 69 points behind Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is two points behind Norris in third.
In Spain, Norris was convinced that his car was the fastest – he collected a point for the fastest lap of the race – and that his mistake at the start of the race when he was overtaken by both Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell condemned him to a second place finish.
He claimed on Thursday that to get that advantage over Verstappen he would need a “perfect” race.
“We are now at a level where everything has to be perfect,” Norris said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. We are up against one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time, who is performing at an incredibly high level. Anything less than perfect, like my departure last weekend, makes you pay the price. It’s that simple. »
Mercedes is also aiming to stay in the race, having finished third and fourth in the last two Grands Prix, in Montreal and Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton recorded his first podium of the season last weekend.
Ferrari, for its part, is hoping to recover after a drop in level since Leclerc’s victory on the slow Monaco track.