Lando Norris seemed on course for victory in Madrid before a virtual safety car disrupted his race. The Briton ultimately finished third.
Read more Max Verstappen explodes on the radio after a Red Bull order
Lando Norris had practically done everything perfectly in Madrid. After a spectacular pole position on Saturday, the McLaren driver then took control of the Spanish Grand Prix from the start and seemed to have a comfortable margin over his rivals. But a virtual safety car triggered at the worst moment completely turned the situation around.
Norris ultimately had to settle for third place behind Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. A huge frustration for the reigning world champion, who feels he had an almost perfect race and simply could do nothing against the scenario that cost him the victory.
Five seconds that changed the Grand Prix
Norris had perfectly exploited his pole during the first 14 laps. Quickly freed from the pressure of his pursuers, the Briton had built several seconds of lead over Antonelli and seemed to be the fastest driver on track.
Everything changed when Lance Stroll stopped in a runoff area. The virtual safety car was immediately deployed, offering an ideal opportunity to change tires while losing much less time. But Norris had just passed the pit entry: he missed this window by about five seconds.
Antonelli and Verstappen, behind him, were able to dive immediately into the pit lane and fully benefit from the neutralization. When Norris was able to make his own stop, the race had resumed normally and his advantage had disappeared.
“I could do nothing.”
Norris emerges only fifth
The McLaren driver also lost time during his stop and found himself fifth behind Charles Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, and George Russell. In a few moments, Norris had gone from a comfortable first place to a situation where he had to rebuild his entire race.
Russell then made a second stop, while Leclerc extended his stint until the last laps before finally changing tires. These strategies allowed Norris to climb back to third place, but Antonelli and Verstappen were now ahead of him.
The Briton gradually closed in on the Red Bull and spent the last laps in Verstappen’s slipstream. On a Madring where overtaking proved extremely difficult, he never found a real chance to pass.
“Congratulations to Kimi. Luck was not on our side. I fought hard to try to catch Max, but it was very difficult to overtake and he made no mistakes.”
“It’s a victory that slips away from us”
Norris does not hide his regrets. His pace in the first stint and his comeback at the end of the race give him the feeling that McLaren had everything needed to win this first Grand Prix held at the Madring.
Antonelli himself acknowledged after the finish that Norris probably deserved the victory more. But the neutralization came exactly at the right moment for Mercedes and at the worst for McLaren.
Read more Lewis Hamilton retires after only seven laps in Madrid: huge blow for the championship
“It was a tough race and a victory that slips away from us. I feel we deserved it, but sometimes, that’s just how racing goes. We will accept it and try again next time.”
The disappointment is all the greater as Norris feels he has practically nothing to blame himself for over the whole weekend.
Norris believes he had a perfect race
The day before, Norris had already surprised McLaren by snatching pole from Antonelli by only 11 thousandths. Andrea Stella described his last lap as a “masterpiece,” even revealing that his driver lost about three tenths in the last corner after brushing the wall.
On Sunday, Norris believes he maintained the same level of performance. But unlike qualifying, his driving this time was not enough to get the desired result.
“Yesterday, it was quite phenomenal to manage to get pole and today, I had a perfect race. But luck was simply not on my side.”
Despite this missed opportunity, the Briton is satisfied with the progress made by McLaren and his own level of performance.
“More victories are possible”
Since the upgrades introduced before the summer break, McLaren has significantly closed the gap to Mercedes and Norris has regularly returned to the front. After his wins in Hungary and the Netherlands, he seemed capable of chaining another victory in Madrid before the virtual safety car intervention.
The reigning world champion knows, however, that reproducing these performances will not be easy against particularly tight competition.
“These results don’t come easily. I feel like I work a lot and get a lot out of the car. The team does an incredible job and we all work very hard.”
Norris therefore refuses to be discouraged by this third place.
“We have to keep going because our rivals are also doing an incredible job and the battle at the top is very tough. We will keep pushing and trying. More victories are possible, so we have to keep our heads up.”
Madrid will nevertheless remain a particularly hard opportunity to digest. After an exceptional pole and 14 perfectly controlled first laps, Norris had done practically everything in his power to win. This time, it was simply the race circumstances that decided otherwise.
Read more The starting grid changed again in Madrid: one driver will start from the pits