Norris cannot resist Mercedes joke after Antonelli and Russell swap places

Although the championship leader fought tooth and nail and led for much of the race, he ultimately had no answer to the superior pace of the MCL40. After showing its strength in Budapest, McLaren confirmed its impressive form once again at Zandvoort, on Max Verstappen’s home soil, as Norris claimed his second consecutive victory.

Mercedes tried everything to keep its victory hopes alive, including switching Antonelli onto soft tyres for the closing stages in an attempt to chase down the Briton. The gamble ultimately came to nothing, and during his late charge the Italian also found teammate George Russell ahead of him. After some back-and-forth over team radio, Russell eventually moved aside on the team’s instructions to allow Antonelli through.

Watching the incident back on the post-race highlights in the traditional cool-down room, Norris could not resist poking fun at the position swap. As the replay showed Russell allowing Antonelli past, the Dutch Grand Prix winner sarcastically remarked: “What a move!”

Norris ultimately won by more than ten seconds, further underlining the strength of an MCL40 that is now beginning to emerge as a genuine threat in the championship fight. However, the deficit in the standings remains considerable, leaving the Briton with plenty of ground still to make up.

Norris was already in a playful mood towards Mercedes on Saturday after taking pole position at Zandvoort. When the McLaren driver was asked about his realistic chances of challenging for the championship, he used the opportunity to joke about the team currently standing between him and the title, with Antonelli holding a 90-point advantage in the Drivers’ standings.

The reigning world champion referred back to some of the costly moments McLaren experienced during the closing stages of the 2025 season, suggesting Mercedes would need to suffer similar setbacks to make his task considerably easier. Norris specifically pointed to McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas and the missed opportunity to make a free pit stop in Qatar as examples of the kind of mistakes that could quickly change the complexion of a championship battle.

Behind the humour, however, Norris remained measured about his chances of overturning the deficit. McLaren has shown a clear improvement in performance since his first victory of the season in Budapest before the summer break, but the Briton is not looking too far ahead. With every season presenting different circumstances and McLaren still working to close the gap in certain areas, Norris is instead focusing on extracting everything possible from the car at each race weekend.