Lando Norris fires back at drivers for "talking too much" after Alonso questioned rivals
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Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Lando Norris has told drivers to stop talking about things they don’t understand after rivals including Fernando Alonso questioned how top teams are able to bring frequent upgrades under Formula 1’s budget cap.
The McLaren driver’s pointed remarks came after Alonso expressed surprise at rival teams’ relentless development pace, suggesting some outfits appear to have a “money machine” in the factory despite the cost constraints.
Alonso's team Aston Martin have made it clear that they won't be able to introduce any major upgrades to the AMR26 before the summer break. Speaking after qualifying sixth for the Austrian Grand Prix, Norris dismissed comments from drivers including the Spaniard, who joked that teams have "unlimited upgrades".
Speaking to GPblog among other media outlets, Norris said: "I think the drivers talk too much. They don't understand what we're doing. They're not the accountants. They don't really know how it works. I'm not surprised at all.
"I think it depends how quickly you're onto things. It depends how much time you spend per item, time in the winter, all these little things. It's also efficiency of how you get parts made and get parts done. So I don't think people can talk about other teams. Every team is doing better than the other team and you have to outperform them in every way possible."
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McLaren rallying cry after Ferrari and Red Bull upgrades
Upgrades appear to be a big talking point for McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix, as Andrea Stella highlighted how recent upgrades from Ferrari and Red Bull have meant they have slipped behind their rivals.
Stella after qualifying issued a rallying cry calling on McLaren to show "more intensity" with their upgrades, so they can close the gap on their rivals. After complimenting upgrades from their rivals, the McLaren team principal said: "We need to rev our engine higher. We need to have more intensity in the business. We need to be good at delivering effective solutions. What I see in the pipeline is very promising, especially in terms of aerodynamic upgrades. But at the same time, we need to land with these upgrades trackside as soon as possible."
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