Russell calls Norris a 'specialist' after McLaren's back-to-back wins at Hungary and Zandvoort

George Russell credited Lando Norris as a circuit “specialist” following the McLaren driver’s back-to-back pole positions and victories at the Hungaroring and Zandvoort, calling the results entirely predictable given the two tracks’ shared characteristics. Russell himself finished third in the Dutch Grand Prix, one place behind Norris on the road.

“I don’t think it’s a major surprise for us, seeing how competitive Lando was this weekend, considering he won in Budapest,” Russell said after the race. “It’s a very similar circuit with the long corners, high tyre degradation, with the two-stop strategy, so there’s a lot of similarities between the two circuits.”

Norris’s dominant run has coincided with a significant McLaren upgrade package, though Russell was keen to emphasise that the reigning world champion’s affinity for this type of circuit predates the new parts. “He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions,” Russell said. “We also saw it last year.”

Looking ahead to Monza, Russell struck a cautiously optimistic tone for Mercedes. The Italian circuit’s long straights, heavy braking zones and low-speed chicanes differ markedly from the sweeping layouts of Budapest and Zandvoort, and Russell pointed to strong Mercedes showings at Shanghai, Montreal and Silverstone as evidence the team can be more competitive there.

“I think we will be slightly more competitive there,” Russell said of Monza. “However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know. But I do believe that these high-degradation circuits really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”

Russell also warned that McLaren’s advantage could persist beyond Monza in the short term. “I think this may continue for the coming two or three races until we start to bring more to the car, and fingers crossed our competitors don’t,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli faces a back-of-the-grid penalty at his home race in Monza after the team opted for a full power unit change that exceeds his season allocation.