Lando Norris has rejected Kimi Antonelli's claim that Mercedes no longer have the fastest car in Formula One. The McLaren driver responded after the 20-year-old Mercedes driver finished second behind him at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Antonelli's assessment of Mercedes' pace
Antonelli made the assertion after coming second at Zandvoort, where Norris claimed victory. The win followed Norris' maiden success of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, signalling a possible shift from Mercedes' early dominance.
Mercedes won the first six races of the season, with George Russell winning in Australia before Antonelli took five consecutive victories. However, the Constructors' Championship leaders have since won just two of the last six grands prix.
That decline led Antonelli to say his team are no longer the top performers in F1, while praising McLaren's recent improvement. He said: "We're clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid. We're probably second or third, at least in today's race, and McLaren has taken a huge step since the big upgrade package they brought."
Norris' rebuttal and championship gap
Norris, who overtook Antonelli to win in the Netherlands, maintained that Mercedes continue to have a better-performing car than McLaren. The Briton said: "I don't think it's true. I think if I didn't get Kimi when I overtook him, I don't think I would have won the race.
"For once I would give myself a little bit of credit that I feel like I'm doing a better job than everyone and I think that can also make a difference. We certainly have a car now capable of beating them ... but I think they have a better all-round performing car than what we do."
Norris' cautious title outlook
Norris' last two performances saw him close the gap in the Drivers' Standings, where he now sits fourth with 159 points, 82 points behind leader Antonelli. Despite McLaren's improvements, Norris stopped short of declaring he can mount a credible championship challenge.
He added: "We have a strong car in certain areas. It's not like last year where we were pretty good everywhere. We're very, very strong in high speed, and that's the place we've improved the car the most, is high-speed performance. No one matches us in high speed, and that's a good thing.
"But the advantage that they (Mercedes) have to us in slow speed is also crazy. And therefore, I don't have the confidence to say 'yeah, I can easily fight for a championship for the rest of the season. I know I've just won two races in a row and had two poles in a row, but at the minute I don't have the car I need to fight for a championship."
