Lando Norris’ recent struggles against Oscar Piastri appeared to grow worse in Imola after qualifying six tenths behind him.
McLaren failed to win for just the second time in seven races this season, after Max Verstappen made an audacious overtake on the first lap.
He caught Piastri napping and went on to lead the rest of the race, facing no competition along the way and securing his second victory of the year.
Norris’s race pace was far more impressive, and for brief spells he was the fastest car on track in clear air, which suggests he isn’t too far from good form.
Verstappen ‘clearly’ had an advantage over McLaren claimed the Brit after the race, suggesting that their new upgrades have been effective.
However, Norris ‘suffered’ in one key area at Imola, which may have prevented him from going one step further and winning a race for the first time since the season-opener.
READ MORE: Toto Wolff has now changed his opinion on Lando Norris after what he’s seen this season
Daniil Kvyat blames Lando Norris thinking ‘too much’ for qualifying struggles against Oscar Piastri
Verstappen also believes that Norris still needs to prove one thing in Formula 1 if he wants to be taken seriously as a title contender.
He’s yet to show great consistency, which is one of, if not the key ingredient in a sustained drivers’ championship push.
Ex-Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat has blamed something else for the five-time winner’s struggles at most weekends.
“Maybe [he’s overthinking]. It could be one of the reasons, maybe this car is not particularly, it makes him think a little bit too much,” said Kvyat.
“Maybe he comes to Q3 and this car is not giving him that comfort, how he can lean on the tyres at the limit in the decisive moments.
“Then you start thinking a bit more and more and maybe you leave a little hundredth here, a couple of hundredths there and then it accumulates in a couple of turns through the lap,” he continued.
“Of course, then you start P4 instead of pole. It’s tricky, he needs to do the job of analysing what works for him [and] what doesn’t and where it comes from.”
READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve now identifies why Lando Norris ‘collapses’ under pressure after Imola ‘mistakes’
Why Oscar Piastri needs to keep hammering home his advantage over Lando Norris
As was the case when it was already too late last year, it’s inevitable that Norris will find form again at some point this season. He’ll be hoping that he can before it’s too late.
Last year, he managed to find the speed at a good moment, but Verstappen had enough steam to deal with him. Being in the same team as Piastri means that it’s a completely different scenario.
Piastri’s battle with Verstappen was ‘confusing’ at Imola, but he needs to put it behind him and move on. He cannot afford to lose any momentum, because his rivals will soon pounce on any sign of weakness.
Following a few brief exchanges with the Dutchman, Piastri knows how to battle Verstappen, but cannot afford to focus on him too much. It could open the door for Norris, who will gladly take advantage.
