Lando Norris has issued a response to Fernando Alonso’s recent comment about McLaren’s alleged overconfidence in their quest to outperform Aston Martin in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
McLaren has seen a notable upswing in performance since introducing significant updates at the Austrian Grand Prix, allowing Norris to become the second-highest points scorer in the last eight races.
The team currently trails Aston Martin by 11 points, having secured back-to-back podium finishes in Japan and Qatar.
When questioned about Alonso’s remarks, Norris retorted, saying, “How many points did we gain in Suzuka? 20?
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“So unless his math is deteriorating… which it definitely isn’t! Fernando is just Fernando; he’s always going to say things.
“He always makes himself look very good or makes other people look bad.”
Norris has come close to matching Alonso’s seven podium finishes with his recent success in Qatar, having been on just 12 points when Alonso achieved his sixth podium in Canada.
The British driver believes that McLaren is now consistently outperforming Aston Martin, especially since Lance Stroll, the second driver for the latter team, has failed to score any points since the summer break.
“I don’t think we’re overconfident in any way. I think we’re the last people who have ever been overconfident in saying anything, especially myself,” Norris added.
“With two cars performing well for them, they struggled to have two cars up there in Q3, at the end of the race.
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“I would say it’s silly for him to think the opposite.
“But he’s a smart guy.
“I’m confident we can do it just because if we can have more P2 and P3 finishes, then, of course, it’s possible.”