Lando Norris hands McLaren warning after Max Verstappen defeat

Lando Norris has issued a warning to McLaren after admitting the team "could not keep up" with Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Norris started fourth and maintained his position initially. He moved into second after pit stops saw George Russell and Oscar Piastri fall behind. Norris briefly returned to third after pitting under a late safety car, but a tyre advantage allowed him to reclaim second from his teammate Piastri.

Ultimately, second place was the best McLaren could achieve, as Verstappen and Red Bull demonstrated superior pace.

"It was a long race from that perspective. Not easy to overtake, but we did what we could," Norris stated. "I think Max drove a good race. They were quick today, and probably a bit quicker [than us], we could not keep up. We had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and myself, which is always tense, but always good fun, but a good race.

"From us as a team, second and third is great. Of course, we would love to be out there fighting against Max, but they were too good for us."

Norris's overtake on Russell around the outside of Turn 5 was a highlight. He acknowledged the risk but trusted his ability against a respected competitor.

"It's with George, and I could tell he was struggling with the tyres a lot," Norris added. "So, it's just a situation you've got to take advantage of. It's always risky. You never want to take too much risk, but we're also racing. He's a fair race, he's a good racer, so some good moves today."