‘We’re not quick enough’ – Verstappen eager for Red Bull gains after losing out to McLaren rival Norris on home soil

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has admitted that he simply “tried to be second” in the Dutch Grand Prix when it became clear that McLaren rival Lando Norris boasted more raw speed.

Verstappen initially sent the home fans wild by jumping ahead of pole-sitter Norris when the race got under way, after which he built a solid lead and crucially moved out of the DRS window.

READ MORE: Norris fights back against Verstappen to end home hero’s run of Dutch GP wins

However, Norris fought back with an impressive turn of speed and, at the start of Lap 18, used the overtaking aid along the start/finish straight to reclaim the lead from Verstappen into Turn 1.

From there, Norris never looked back, moving further and further ahead of Verstappen in what was a one-stop race for the front-runners to eventually finish 22.8 seconds clear.

Reflecting on finishing P2, and not being able to add to his home wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Verstappen commented: “You always try to do better.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the Dutch GP as Norris beats Verstappen to victory

“We had a good start, we tried everything we could today, but throughout the race I think it was quite clear that we’re not quick enough, so I tried to be second.”

Asked about his start, and whether he was dreaming of such a move overnight, Verstappen added: “Not at all. I know that we have good starts, so I was quite confident that we would have another one, and luckily it was like that.

“Then I just tried to do my own race, that was my race, and that was second today.”

Thanks to Norris also claiming the fastest lap of the race, Verstappen’s championship lead has been cut from 78 points to 70 – with nine rounds of the season still to come.

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Norris gets your nod for imperious Dutch drive

Meanwhile, with Oscar Piastri ending the race in fourth position and Sergio Perez sixth, Red Bull’s advantage in the constructors’ battle is down to just 30 points.