Rand Norris says Max Verstappen’s recent victory should not surprise people, and Red Bull has an area on “a different level” compared to McLaren.
Verstappen doubled the tally for the season after winning back-to-back races at Monza and Baku, failing to secure their first victory since Imola before that. Meanwhile, McLaren endured a tough weekend in Azerbaijan, and Norris said that Red Bull has the right circuit for the car isn’t unexpected, even if it moves further with performance.
“I think people need to stop surprise them quickly because they aren’t often late,” Norris said. “Max had already won the race at the beginning of the year. He might have won round one. I think he was pretty close to his victory (the other races). The whole season was fast.
“Red Bull was good. They brought some upgrades to Monza, which seems to have helped them improve even further. So it’s not a surprise. I think they’re an incredibly strong team and know they’re one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1.
“They are trying to make our lives difficult for the rest of the season, but we struggled a little from our side as well (in Baku). Monza was clearly not fast enough. We’ve made improvements.
Norris states how difficult it is to expand where Red Bull has advantages over McLaren and drive in a low-down force configuration.
“To be honest, I don’t think there was a Red Bull pace,” he said. “It was very clear, I think the downforce track is low, but we still seem to be struggling.
“We don’t have the confidence we need yet. It’s quick. You can’t repeat it as often as Red Bull, for example. We had an incredible season. Don’t get me wrong.