Trapped by the virtual safety car in Madrid, Lando Norris reveals that the drivers had already proposed a rule change to avoid this scenario.
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Lando Norris accepts defeat, but much less the way it happened. While he was dominating the Spanish Grand Prix, the McLaren driver saw a virtual safety car erase in a few seconds all the advantage he had built and offer a golden opportunity to Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.
The Briton admits he simply lacked luck. But above all, he believes that such a scenario should not alone decide the outcome of a Grand Prix. Norris also reveals that the subject has already been discussed among the drivers and a solution was proposed: to systematically maintain the virtual safety car for at least one full lap.
Norris loses about 20 seconds without being able to react
The incident happened on lap 14 when Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin. Norris had just passed the pit entry when the virtual safety car was triggered.
Antonelli was about six seconds behind and therefore had time to pit immediately, as did Verstappen. Both men changed their tires under neutralization, significantly reducing the time normally lost during a stop.
Norris had to complete a full lap at reduced speed before he could join the pits. But just as he was about to stop, the neutralization ended. He therefore changed his tires under normal conditions and lost about 20 seconds compared to his main rivals.
“I had already passed the pit entry. I need to talk to the team, but it’s not something you can guess. I simply had no luck.”
“I was the only one on the entire grid not to benefit”
For Norris, the problem goes far beyond his own misadventure. The Briton considers that such a short neutralization can create a disproportionate difference between drivers depending on their exact position on the track when it is triggered.
“I was the only driver on the entire grid not to benefit from an advantageous stop, so I lose 20 seconds on everyone. It was out of my control and out of the team’s control. It’s simply the rule, but it shouldn’t decide a race.”
The reigning world champion believes that a victory should primarily reward on-track performance or a genuine strategic choice. A driver can, for example, take the risk of extending a stint in the hope of benefiting from a future neutralization, but that decision then involves an assumed calculation.
In Madrid, Norris considers that he made no choice that could explain the loss of his advantage. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“A race should be won by the one who delivers the best performance, or possibly by someone who takes the risk of extending their stint hoping a safety car will come later. In that case, you know it’s part of the parameters.”
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Norris calls the situation “unfair”
What particularly annoys the McLaren driver is that practically all his rivals benefited from the neutralization, while he was the only one among the main drivers not to be able to take advantage of it.
“That everyone can benefit from a virtual safety car to reduce the time lost in the pits while I get nothing, it’s simply unfair.”
However, Norris does not claim to be the first victim of this type of scenario. He acknowledges that other drivers have already won thanks to a well-timed neutralization and even admits to probably having benefited from similar circumstances himself in the past.
“It has happened before. Some have won because of it and I have probably benefited myself in the past. But I don’t think many drivers have lost a victory this way.”
This time, the consequences were particularly significant. Norris seemed to have the best pace and had already built a comfortable lead when he was trapped. Antonelli ultimately won ahead of Verstappen, while the McLaren driver had to settle for third place.
A solution already proposed by the drivers
Norris especially reveals that this situation is not new in discussions among drivers. The operation of the virtual safety car had already been addressed in previous meetings, with a proposal aimed at ensuring more fairness.
The idea would be simple: when a virtual safety car is triggered, it should remain in effect for at least one full lap. Each driver would thus have the opportunity to pass the pit entry once under neutralization and theoretically have the same chance to make a stop at a lower cost.
“We have already talked about it during drivers’ meetings. We said it should remain deployed for at least one full lap so that conditions are the same for everyone.”
For Norris, Madrid is precisely the example of the problem that this modification would prevent.
“I was the only one to lose in this situation and it cost me about 20 seconds of racing. That’s not how things should happen.”
The debate on stops made under safety car or virtual safety car is old in Formula 1, as is the one concerning tire changes allowed under red flag. After probably losing a victory because of a few seconds of bad luck in Madrid, Norris has now given it a new strong argument.
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