Dutch Grand Prix: Lando Norris insists talk of title showdown with Max Verstappen is 'stupid' despite win

Lando Norris said it is stupid to start dreaming about the Formula One world championship - despite a crushing victory over Max Verstappen in the Dutch driver's own back yard.

Norris might have feared the worst after he allowed Verstappen to move ahead of him following another poor start here in Zandvoort.

But the McLaren man silenced 105,000 orange-clad fans when he slipstreamed his way past their hero on lap 18 of 72 before crossing the line an emphatic 22.8 seconds clear.

Norris' statement triumph marked just the second of his career - arriving 112 days after his maiden victory in Miami - to reduce the championship deficit from 78 points to 70 with nine rounds remaining and 258 points still to play for.

However, Norris said: "I have been fighting for the championship since the first race of the year and there is no sudden decision that now I need to do better.

"I am still 70 points behind Max so it is pretty stupid to think of that (the championship). There is no point to think ahead.

"I am focussed on one race at a time. It is not a question I need to be asked every single weekend.”

A catalogue of mistakes by driver and team led Norris to admit earlier this week that he has not performed at the level required to win the title - and an unwanted statistic lingered over him as he headed into Sunday's 72-lap affair.

Despite claiming three previous career poles, he had never led after a meaningful corner. And history repeated itself on the short blast to the Tarzan bend when Norris appeared to be treading through treacle as Verstappen breezed clear.

Norris' reaction time was the same as his rival - 0.28 seconds - but too much wheelspin then cost the Briton dearly. Norris was suddenly staring at the back of Verstappen's Red Bull gearbox.

Then, on lap 18, Norris struck. The British driver latched on to Verstappen's tow before jinking to his right at 200mph and making the move stick at the first bend.

Verstappen had no answer. At the start of lap 26, Norris was five seconds ahead, and when Verstappen pulled in for his first stop, Norris' advantage stood at nearly seven seconds.

In the past, McLaren have been accused of fluffing their strategy lines, but they wasted no time in pitting Norris to cover off Verstappen.

It was not the speediest stop - half a second slower than Verstappen's - but Norris emerged ahead of the Red Bull. On lap 40 his lead stood at 10 seconds. It turned into an exhibition.

"I didn't expect it to go as well as it did, but after getting done off the line and into turn one I was surprisingly calm," added Norris, who completed a perfect weekend by landing a bonus point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

"Maybe it because I am used to going backwards at the start and I am prepared for those kind of scenarios," he added with a smile.

"I looked after my tyres, and I was like 'what could I do now?' By lap 13 I managed to catch Max and gain optimism that I could pass him on track. I had two opportunities. The first time I wasn't close enough and the next lap I did it. And I got my head down from there."

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