Red Bull Admits Fear Over Norris and McLaren’s Dutch GP Dominance

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing’s team principal, admitted that his team has reasons to be concerned after Lando Norris dominated the Dutch Grand Prix and closed in on Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 World Championship. Norris won the race at Zandvoort by 22 seconds over Verstappen, reducing the championship leader’s advantage to 70 points, while McLaren also cut the gap to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship to just 30 points.

It was Norris’s second win of the season and McLaren’s third, but the British driver missed crucial opportunities in previous races, such as in Canada, Spain, and Great Britain, which could have made the title race even closer. McLaren also struggled with performance compared to Red Bull in the first five races of the year, before Norris secured his first career win in Miami in May.

Horner pointed out that Red Bull was fortunate with McLaren’s slow start to the season. “We’re lucky they underperformed at the start of the year, so we have a 70-point buffer, but that can diminish quickly,” Horner said. “It’s notable that this is only Lando’s second win with that car. He’s driving well and finding confidence. The pressure is on us to respond.”

The Red Bull boss acknowledged that McLaren now has the fastest car in Formula 1 and that his team needs to react. “McLaren is setting the benchmark now. That’s clear in terms of pace. They’ve been very competitive in the last few races. In Hungary, they were very competitive, and in Spa, it was Mercedes,” Horner said.

“Lando, in particular, was very, very strong here. They definitely have the fastest car at the moment. We have to respond to that. It’s not rocket science; there are no silver bullets in this business. It’s about understanding the problem, addressing the problem, and then implementing fixes,” Horner added.

Red Bull’s response will be crucial to maintaining their championship lead, and how the team handles McLaren’s growing competitiveness and Norris’s rise will be key for the rest of the season. The challenge now is to keep up the pace and face the pressure from a revitalized McLaren, which is clearly aiming for more victories and the world title.