Lando Norris on Thursday played down his hopes of beating Max Verstappen again in this Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, warning that despite more updates his McLaren car was not yet a match for the champion's Red Bull.
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Norris, who claimed his maiden Formula One victory at the Miami Grand Prix two weeks ago, warned that despite their progress and recent success McLaren "need more" to challenge consistently.
"We definitely took a step forward," he said, referring to the team's upgrade package in Miami.
"But other teams have upgrades too so we are not getting ahead of ourselves.
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"I still think we are the third best team at the moment. But that could change if we have another good weekend here and I am confident that with our rate of development we can challenge more often for wins next year – and, in the bigger picture, the title."
He added that "we need more to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari more consistently."
Norris suggested also that McLaren may be better suited to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari this weekend than many other circuits.
"Imola has generally been one of our moe successful tracks," he said. "And for me as a driver."
His popular victory in Miami came with the aid of a helpful Safety Car intervention that enabled him to pass Verstappen.