The Belgian GP exposed the weakness of the MCL60 at high-speed tracks, and Norris found himself unable to defend in the race on his way to seventh place.
At Monza, Norris qualified ninth and finished eighth having been stuck behind the Williams of Alex Albon for most of the race.
Although the final outcome was actually a place lower than at Spa, Norris felt that the car was more competitive overall, and that he could at least fight with other drivers.
Asked by Autosport if the result represented damage limitation, Norris said: “It was P8, some points. And maybe we were hoping for a touch more. But also at times we were expecting not to even be in the points. So I'm happy with it.
“I think it was damage limitation. At the same time, good to see the progress we made on a low downforce circuit. I know there wasn't a lot, and a bit of it is just things you have from last year, and trying to optimise them for here.
“But we made some good improvements, and it was a raceable car, which is a good step forward. And there's only one more low downforce track this season [Las Vegas].”
Source: Autosport