Lando Norris adamant McLaren “pretty even” with Mercedes despite dominant start to British GP

Lando Norris has downplayed McLaren’s impressive start to the F1 British Grand Prix weekend, claiming Mercedes are “pretty even” in terms of performance.

Norris topped both practice sessions at Silverstone as he enjoyed a great start to his home weekend.

McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was inside the top three on both occasions, highlighting the Woking outfit’s impressive pace.

McLaren have traditionally performed best at high-speed circuits like Silverstone over the last 12 months, meaning Norris will be fancying his chances of a maiden home win.

Reflecting on the day, Norris said: “A good start to the weekend. It didn’t feel that comfortable this morning.

“We made tweaks and I got it into a much nicer window, which is important around here, because it’s on the nose and sketchy at pretty high speeds. Tricky, but I’m happy. We made good progress.

“I think we are pretty even with Mercedes, they seem just as quick as us. They just didn’t turn up the engine and do as much in the final run.

“We are in a good place but we have more to find.”

In typical British fashion, the weather has been unpredictable this weekend.

While both sessions were predominantly dry, rain affected the latter stages of FP2.

Similarly the Formula 3 qualifying session - which took place between the two F1 practice sessions - was hit with some wet weather.

Despite often faring well in the rain, like in Canada, Norris hopes it remains dry.

“I always enjoy both conditions,” he added. “At a home race you prefer it when it’s dry. Because we’re in a good place and I don’t want to go too far from that.

“But, it’s Silverstone! It’s England! I am ready for everything but my preference would be to stay dry.”

On the home atmosphere, he concluded: “A good amount. I wish the weather was better but at least the rain held off. I love it. It’s busy and chaotic. I try to give back to them.”