McLaren ‘not shocked’ by dominant Norris win margin

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has asserted he is “not shocked” by the gap Lando Norris pulled to Max Verstappen during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Norris secured his second career victory in dominant fashion, taking the chequered flag over 20 seconds in front of reigning world champion Verstappen.

Having lost the lead on the opening lap, Norris re-took P1 on lap 18 with an overtake into Turn 1 before going on to build the margin.

Norris also scored pole position in convincing fashion on Saturday, with Brown commending his driver for his weekend form.

“It was a big gap,” Brown told Sky F1. “We knew we were fast all weekend, so I'm not shocked.

“I'm just pleasantly surprised at the size of the gap. But once Lando got in clean air, he controlled it pretty easily, so it was great to see.

“But we'll see what happens in Monza. I think it will be an exciting nine more races to go.”

Brown warns McLaren against complacency

McLaren brought a sizeable upgrade package to the event at Zandvoort, its first major change to the car since Miami.

While hailing the work undertaken by the staff at McLaren, Brown warned the Woking-based squad not to get complacent with its current form.

“You don't ultimately know about each individual track until we get there,” he stated. “I think the upgrades clearly worked. 

“All the men and women at McLaren have done and continue to do a great job. 

“I think we need to keep our feet on the ground with how competitive F1 is, and not assume that's going to be a repeat every weekend, but I hope we can do it a few more times.”