Norris tops FP2 but seeks a bigger gap to his rivals

Written by Charlotte Mui

Credit: Formula One

Lando Norris ended Friday at the Italian Grand Prix on top after setting the fastest time in Free Practice 2. He will be looking to close out this weekend with a win to claw back vital points in his championship battle. 

The British driver’s DNF in Zandvoort last weekend was a devastating blow to his championship hopes. With the two McLaren drivers so evenly matched, the 25-point sway in Oscar Piastri’s direction leaves Norris with a serious uphill battle in the final stretch of the season.

When asked about his pace, Norris cheekily replied: “Normally by this point we have like a one-second gap to everyone. But at the moment it looks, yeah, just a bit close for my liking at the minute.

“I feel like [there are] some small things to improve, and for us to still be P1 I thought was good. I thought we improved some stuff from FP1 to FP2.”

Even as the quickest driver on the day, Norris was clearly hoping for a bit more of a cushion to his other competitors. 

“Just a bit close,” he said, “ so I just need to try and make the gap a bit bigger.”

When comparing Monza to Zandvoort, where McLaren looked untouchable, Norris recalled: “We were easily quickest [in Zandvoort] and it felt pretty amazing. Here is quite the opposite. [It’s] not a surprise, we were expecting that kind of thing.

“I definitely think we don’t perform quite to the same level in these kinds of low-downforce conditions as when we do as when we’re in high-downforce. The competitors catch up, it looks a bit closer and that makes our life a bit trickier.”

Though Norris finished nearly two tenths ahead of Piastri in FP2, he will remember that in Zandvoort his teammate trailed throughout practice before snatching pole at the last minute. This time out, he will be determined not to let history repeat itself in Saturday's qualifying session.