Norris eyes perfection in bid to beat Verstappen

McLaren’s Lando Norris says he is searching for perfection successful his quest to consistently hit Red Bull’s Max Verstappen successful Formula 1.

Norris has been a adjacent 2nd down Verstappen successful nan past 2 races successful Canada and Spain and feels he and McLaren request to tidy up "just mini things" to hit nan world champion.

"Everything needs to beryllium executed perfectly good and past play everything was not executed perfectly well," Norris said. "And that’s wherever it costs us.

"I’m very happy and 99.5% I’m astir apt happy with."

Norris said he felt he had been "over-critical" of his title successful Spain past weekend, erstwhile being passed by Verstappen and George Russell’s Mercedes astatine nan commencement costs him victory.

Verstappen was capable to walk Russell astatine nan commencement of nan 3rd lap, while Norris was stuck down for nan full first stint. Norris closed to wrong 2 seconds of Verstappen by nan end, but his triumph successful Miami successful May remains his only F1 triumph truthful far.

Asked if he felt he and McLaren could strain together a bid of wins, Norris said: "A tally of wins... I don’t want to beryllium over-confident and opportunity that astatine all."

But he added: "We could spell connected and triumph races. I decidedly deliberation that’s imaginable pinch really nan squad are performing and really I’m performing.

"But we’re against 1 of nan champion drivers ever successful F1 and 1 of nan champion performing teams successful F1 and past you person everyone other isolated from that who tin easy get successful nan operation too.

"Everything needs to beryllium executed perfectly good and past play everything was not executed perfectly good and that 1 point that wasn’t. That’s wherever it costs us."

The 24-year-old Briton moved into 2nd spot successful nan title pinch his consequence successful Spain. He is 69 points down Verstappen pinch 14 races still to go, starting successful Austria this weekend.

Norris said that now he had a competitory car, nan frustrations are bigger immoderate clip he does not rather do nan very champion he can.

"I’ve only won 1 race," Norris said. "That is still astonishing but everything becomes comparative to what you cognize you are capable to execute and nan logic I was disappointment was that mini point costs me.

"Being successful this position you are conscionable much quiet to triumph and truthful you are much disappointed erstwhile you don't. I deliberation it's arsenic elemental arsenic that. And a triumph successful F1 intends an unthinkable magnitude because it's what I've dreamt astir since I was a kid."

Norris felt he could besides person won successful Canada 2 weeks earlier Spain, but Verstappen was victorious successful some races.

He and Red Bull stay nan squad to hit aft 3 wins successful nan past 5 races and 7 retired of 10 this year, but McLaren person emerged arsenic their astir accordant challenger astatine nan front.

Verstappen said: "We're pushing arsenic difficult arsenic we can, of course, to support connected improving. So that's what we'll effort to do now successful nan coming races, which I deliberation are, of course, very important to spot wherever we're at.

"McLaren astatine nan moment, they're conscionable very solid. They're bully everywhere, each azygous track, benignant of. And also, I deliberation you could spot successful Barcelona, they were very bully connected their tyres. They could conscionable push much connected them compared to, I think, everyone other connected nan grid without really degging disconnected [slowing down] that overmuch astatine nan extremity of stints.

"So these are things that we person to do better. Plus, of course, our known issues pinch nan kerbs and bumps, debased speed, basically. And yeah, those are things that we effort to understand amended besides for adjacent year."

Mercedes led some races pinch Russell, having improved pursuing a bid of upgrades, but nan Briton said he believed nan erstwhile champions still needed to amended their car to beryllium regular contenders for victory.

"We've made a really bully step," Russell said. "But we still request that small spot other to beryllium successful nan conflict week-in, week-out."

Ferrari, who person traditionally been beardown successful Austria, person had a difficult past mates of races. They were nan 4th fastest squad down Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes successful Spain contempt a important upgrade.

But Charles Leclerc, 3rd successful nan title 2 points down Norris, said he did not judge that was suggestive of a wide driblet successful performance.

Leclerc: "Montreal, I deliberation we've identified rather good what was going wrong. And it was much down to nan tyres. In Barcelona, I deliberation it was conscionable earthy gait and we were conscionable slower than what we expected.

"We still person immoderate activity to effort and find thing and understand a spot much these caller parts that we are utilizing now. However, I don't deliberation that nan issues were nan aforesaid successful Montreal and Barcelona, truthful I don't deliberation it's a trend.

"We've been struggling mostly pinch long, slow-speed corners, which present location are a small spot less. So that's a bully motion for us.

"But we're besides moving connected that successful bid to person a amended car successful those corners, which I deliberation we've seen immoderate bully steps guardant successful nan past fewer races.

"However, we were struggling past successful different corners, truthful we've conscionable sewage to put everything together, but we are moving connected it and I'm assured it will beryllium good this weekend."