Nico Rosberg has warned that Mercedes should be concerned by McLaren's development rate and raw speed after the Dutch Grand Prix. The 2016 Formula 1 champion believes the Woking-based team is now the benchmark, and that could spell trouble for the constructors' championship leaders.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Rosberg highlighted Lando Norris's stellar performance at Zandvoort. Despite opting not to pit during the virtual safety car period, Norris maintained his lead over the field. What impressed Rosberg most was Norris's pace on the hard tyres, which he felt was far superior to George Russell's in a similar situation.
"Lando's pace on those hard tyres, he was seven or eight tenths a lap quicker than George in a similar situation. Lando was absolutely flying out there. It was unbelievable the speed there," said Rosberg. "Mercedes is going to be worried now by this pace from McLaren. Because they're the team to beat now, and they've been developing that car faster than anybody else also. This could be a really tough end to the season for Mercedes."
Norris's win at the Dutch GP was his second of the season, following his victory in Hungary before the summer break. With 159 points, Norris now sits fourth in the drivers' standings, 24 points behind Lewis Hamilton in third and 83 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
The back-to-back wins have sparked talk of a title comeback, but the 26-year-old insists he is taking it one race at a time. "It sounds boring, but one race at a time," he said after the race. "I know a lot of people say it now but it's the truth of it. There's no point thinking that far ahead. I need to concentrate now on having a nice little break [before Monza]."
With a short break before the next round at Monza, the pressure is mounting on Mercedes. They must find a way to curb McLaren's momentum, or risk seeing the constructors' title slip away in the final stretch.
Baca Juga
Kimi Antonelli mengakui Mercedes bukan lagi tim tercepat di F1 setelah kalah dari McLaren di GP Belanda. Persaingan juara semakin ketat.
Bearman dan Bortoleto lolos dari penalti berat F1 setelah melanggar lampu pit lane di GP Belanda. Teguran resmi diberikan karena balapan belum 'hidup'. McLaren menang.
Liam Lawson meraih poin perdana bersama Red Bull setelah finis ketujuh di GP Belanda. Bos tim Laurent Mekies memuji performanya yang impresif.
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