Alex Brundle has warned that Mercedes may have a serious “downside on their fingers” if McLaren carries its race-winning Dutch Grand Prix type into Monza and past.
Lando Norris secured his second consecutive victory of the 2026 Formulation 1 season at Zandvoort. Armed with latest automotive upgrades, the McLaren driver overcame a chaotic race to beat the Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
The 2025 champion managed to increase his lead and win with a spot of 11.5 seconds over Antonelli.
Brundle argued that the traits of upcoming circuits will probably be a real take a look at of whether or not McLaren’s efficiency step is a risk to Mercedes all through the remainder of the season.
“You have to say, although, we’re coming off a pair of circuits which can be much less energetically starved in the best way that we noticed Mercedes dominate at Silverstone and be actually robust at Spa,” Brundle informed F1 TV.
“There are going to be these circuits coming, and that impact hasn’t gone away. It may be attention-grabbing to see how this McLaren type, for instance, rolls on into Monza. If it is the identical there, then I believe Mercedes have obtained an issue on their fingers.”
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes that the Brackley outfit won’t be overly involved about Norris’s late title bid, given the improve package deal anticipated for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photograph by: Michael Potts / LAT Pictures through Getty Pictures
“Inevitably, the sphere was going to shut up from Melbourne, and it has achieved with Ferrari, with McLaren, with Pink Bull as nicely bringing upgrades,” Palmer defined.
“Mercedes hit again, did not they, in Canada the place they moved once more additional away from the sphere. That was their solely actual massive hit of upgrades. So, I am listening to Baku goes to be their massive likelihood.
“Clearly, Monza is such an outlier of a circuit which may swimsuit them. Then we go to Madrid, which is a whole unknown for everyone. So, Baku is the one which they’ve focused.
“I do not suppose they’ll be dropping sleep over Lando proper now. He looks as if he is too distant. And whenever you have a look at Kimi nonetheless placing within the performances very persistently, I might say it is such an extended shot for Norris.
“However for me, I believe you might argue he is the driving force of the season. He is put in so many high, high drives and now he has the automotive that he did not have earlier on, and he is simply smashing out the wins.”
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