Lando Norris has beaten Lewis Hamilton in back-to-back races since the Austrian Grand Prix. Mercedes is facing a new threat in the form of McLaren recently. Lewis Hamilton and his team were already dealing with challenges from Ferrari and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Now they have the duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to take care of. The best thing McLaren has done in recent times is copy Red Bull’s design that helped them gain speed.
Mercedes is trying their best to hold on to the second place. But the threats from McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin are constantly knocking on their doors. Later, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that it has been tough for him to challenge for wins and pole positions this year. In reply, Lando Norris mentioned that Hamilton has no idea how tough it is to challenge from the 19th or the 20th place.
Lando Norris Pokes At Lewis Hamilton, Asking Him To Drive From 19th Or 20th Position
Fans expected Hamilton to become the first driver in history to win nine races at the same venue. Lewis Hamilton got pole position on Saturday, becoming the first driver to get nine pole positions in one venue. But he could not convert it to a win in Hungary last Sunday. However, Lewis Hamilton had high hopes for the Sunday race as he got a pole position after the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Perhaps he will have to wait for a win a little longer. Norris added that Hamilton never had to drive from the 19th or the 20th position. It is definitely not a lovely place to drive from if the goal is to win races. The current double-time champion Max Verstappen praised McLaren and Norris for the unbelievable rise in gaining back-to-back P2 finishes.
Moreover, the Dutchman mentioned that it is incredible to see where McLaren was in Bahrain and where they are now. Additionally, Max Verstappen noted that he is happy to see Lando Norris with a competent car. And that he has made it to P2 twice already. Later, Lando Norris told the media, including Sportskeeda, that the new MCL60 has more load and more grip. This grip helps him to drive faster around the corners. Moreover, the McLaren driver noted that the team has improved in handling the balance and the downforce. Other than that, McLaren is improving in their tyre degradation, as per Lando Norris.
McLaren And Norris Proving Too Tough For Hamilton
Lately, Lewis Hamilton has found it incredibly difficult to beat McLaren’s Lando Norris. The 23-year-old Briton is currently in the eighth position in the driver’s standings. But he is gradually making his move to the top. Norris got back-to-back P2 finishes in the British Grand Prix and recently in the Hungarian Grand Prix. He was only 3.7 seconds slower than Max Verstappen in Silverstone. However, in Hungary, Max raised his speed to another level. But the concern for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes is the sudden surge of McLaren.
In the Hungarian Grand Prix, on the final race day, Piastri and Norris, at one point, got ten seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton. On Sunday, Hamilton expressed his wonder on the radio, asking where the McLaren driver was getting that pace from. Later, Hamilton managed to get past Oscar Piastri. But Lando Norris was way too fast for the seven-time champion. Moreover, Norris was faster than Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, too, who finished at P3. The Red Bull drivers and McLaren’s Norris got the podium. But Hamilton had to settle for P4.