Lando Norris feels ‘quite a long way off’ the pace despite positive practice times in Monza

Despite finding himself just 0.003s away from Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap in FP2, Lando Norris conceded that he still has work to do across the Italian Grand Prix weekend to progress back to the top.

After an incredibly dominant victory last time out in Zandvoort, Norris suggested that he had struggled in Monza despite P3 and P2 results in the opening practice sessions.

FP2: Hamilton leads Norris and Sainz during close second practice at Monza while Magnussen brings out red flags

Competition at the historic circuit was tight on Friday with the leading five cars in FP2 all within a tenth and a half of each other, as the battle towards the top continues to be decided by fine margins.

There were also plenty of challenges for the drivers to tackle on track – including high temperatures, new tarmac, and updated kerbs at the low downforce circuit.

MONZA, ITALY - AUGUST 30: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on August 30, 2024 in Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) — Norris will be targeting a second successive pole position

“I struggled a little bit today, probably more with the car in FP1 just with the low grip, I think everyone is probably going to say a similar thing,” Norris said. “The track improved a lot for FP2 and I probably just didn’t progress as much as I needed to.

“The car’s quick, Oscar [Piastri] is very quick – he made a big mistake and probably lost four or five tenths, so he easily should’ve been P1. I’m quite a long way off, so a bit of work for me to do.”

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Norris’s team mate Piastri improved across the practice sessions, jumping up to set the fourth fastest time after finishing sixth on the timesheets in the morning.

The McLaren duo will be hoping to further close down the 30-point deficit to Red Bull in the constructors’ standings at the Italian Grand Prix, but the Australian admitted that difficulties with the tyres could have a significant impact on the race.

MONZA, ITALY - AUGUST 30: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren, on the fan forum stage prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy. (Photo by Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — McLaren are the favourites to beat reigning champions Red Bull to the constructors' crown

“I think the pace and the potential is definitely there so leaving pretty happy," Piastri explained. "The tyres have been an interesting point today for everybody so it’ll be interesting to see what that’s like throughout the rest of the weekend.

“Monza’s a little bit different now with some of the changes they’ve made, with the kerbs and the resurfacing, so it’s taken a little bit to get used to that.

“I think, fortunately, Monza’s not the most physical track that we go to. It’s a lot of straights, a lot of fresh air. For the tyres, it’s never fun when they’re so hot.

“It’s the same thing for everybody and it’s not as hot as track temperatures that we’ve seen at some places this year, but it definitely feels warm enough.”