Lando Norris Ignored McLaren Orders To Secure Additional Dutch GP Point

Saajan Jogia | Aug 26, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; McLaren driver driver Lando Norris (GBR) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

McLaren held discussions following Lando Norris's dominant victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, focusing on his decision to secure an extra point by setting the fastest time of the race on the final lap. While the British driver was successful in his endeavor, it was done without the consent of the team, which would not have been approved in the first place.

Polesitter Norris was held back a bit by wheel spin during the race start, causing Red Bull's Max Verstappen to immediately take the lead. As seen in the past, the three-time world champion repeatedly attempted to create a significant gap in front of Norris but failed to escape the MCL38's race pace.

After 18 laps, Norris made a clean overtake on the Dutchman at his home track, only to pull a huge lead of 23 seconds over Verstappen at the finish line. While many suggest that Red Bull's era of dominance is over, the team's senior advisor, Helmut Marko's description of Norris's fastest lap of 1:13.817 as a "dream" might have confirmed this notion. Speaking to Servus TV, as reported by Autosport.com, he said:

“In general, McLaren were clearly superior, underlined by the fastest lap without DRS on the very last lap, at 1:13.8.

“We can only dream of a time like that. We have a lot of work to do because this lead of 70 or 72 points is not enough with nine races to go.”

The extra point Lando Norris earned for setting the fastest lap narrowed his gap to Verstappen by eight points instead of seven. However, this decision was not sanctioned by McLaren. The Woking team would have preferred Norris to bring the car home safely on the final lap rather than push for the fastest lap.

Norris took a gamble by pushing for the fastest lap, a move that could have jeopardized his dominating run for a second Grand Prix victory. McLaren later revealed that there had been internal discussions about whether the risk for that single point was justified. According to reports, the team would have denied Norris's request had it been made.

However, having passed Verstappen for a race win at Zandvoort, Norris was delighted by the car's pace during the Dutch GP weekend. He told the media:

“I think from quite early on, actually, from probably lap five, six, seven, I expected Max to start pushing and get a bit of a gap, and he never did.

“So, from that point, I knew we were in with a good fight. He seemed to just keep dropping off, and my pace was getting better.

“It's a nice feeling inside the car, and especially when I got past. I could just get comfortable, I could push, I had clean air, and that's always a big help.”