(Motorsport-Total.com) – When even race winner and championship leader Kimi Antonelli has to bluntly admit that it was not him but Lando Norris who deserved to win the first Formula 1 race in Madrid, that already says a lot.
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The world champion had earned pole position on Saturday with a truly fantastic lap and was on his way to a possible victory in the race until the bitter lap 14 suddenly destroyed all hopes of winning.
Because the virtual safety car for the stranded Lance Stroll was called out at the worst possible time for the Briton. Norris had just passed the pit entry when the signal came. Antonelli behind him, however, was able to react quickly and come in for a tire change – at a time when he was already about to make his pit stop.
“Lando already said on the out lap: We were too fast. We should have been slower so that we could have come into the pits under the Virtual Safety Car,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella laments on Sky. And indeed: If Norris had been a few seconds slower, he could have come into the pits like Antonelli and maintained the lead.
However, he had to drive a whole lap before he could come into the pits. The only problem: just before he wanted to turn into the pit lane, the neutralization was lifted.
Norris laments: Was the only one without a chance
“I was the only one, really the only one in the entire field, who had no chance to make the pit stop,” the Briton complains. “That’s just unfortunate.”
“These things happen in races, and there have been many moments in the past where I benefited from it, and moments where I lost because of it. That’s racing – but never when I was fighting for a win,” says Norris. “So I think this is probably one of the first times that a win was simply lost because of that.”
That is especially frustrating for him after his qualifying performance and the pace at the start of the race – especially since he says he had the pace throughout the rest of the race as well. “Of course, I feel like I deserved more today, but the others also drove a good race, and I have to acknowledge that.”
Norris’ only chance would probably have been if he had anticipated the VSC and come into the pits on a whim. But when asked about this possibility, he has no immediate answer: “I have to talk to the pit wall. I just drive the car. I don’t know those things,” he says.
“So I have to talk to the team and see what else was going on. It’s not the team’s fault, it’s not my fault. It’s that simple. We were just unlucky.”
Norris defends stop immediately after VSC
Many observers wondered whether it made sense to come into the pits immediately after the VSC ended. Would it not have been better if Norris had stayed out longer? “I had to come in at the end of the lap because it was the only chance,” he waves off.
Because: since everyone else would have been on colder tires, according to him, there would still have been at least a small advantage in the pit lane compared to a later stop. Also, his medium tires were “done,” while the hard tire proved to be fast.
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“The pace was very, very strong, and on the hard tire we… I know the others were stuck, but we gained 13, 14 seconds or almost even more,” emphasizes Norris, who still finished third in the end because Charles Leclerc and George Russell came in for another tire change later in the race.
<p"So there are plenty of positives. A day full of positive aspects. Only one thing ruined everything."
How can the VSC be made fairer?
It is undisputed that the VSC today probably produced the wrong winner and clearly disadvantaged Norris as the only driver. It is therefore natural that there is renewed discussion about how the system might be made a bit fairer.
The question is: how?
“There are a few things that could be done to make it easier and fairer for everyone,” Norris thinks, considering giving all drivers the opportunity to pit or closing the pit lane for everyone in such a case. “But that’s a bigger discussion,” says the McLaren driver. “That’s not something I can just ask for.”
“I think it’s something we as a group of drivers would all want. But there’s a lot more behind it, depending on whether it’s raining and there’s a VSC and you’re on slicks. Does that then mean you can pit or not? So it’s a complicated topic,” he says. And: “There are probably always some disadvantages when you adjust it.”
Norris also knows: “Of course, I’m complaining about it today. Next week, next time, I could benefit from it and win because of it.”
Verstappen: “That’s really not nice”
“I’ve also won races because of it. I’ve lost races because of it,” Max Verstappen agrees with him. “For Lando, it’s extremely painful to lose a win in this case today. Sometimes you lose points because of it, but this time it’s a win. And yes, that’s really not nice. But unfortunately, many drivers have experienced that.”
“You win some, you lose some. But can it be done better in the future? Probably yes. But we’ll probably talk about it at the next briefing and see if something can be done,” says the Dutchman.
Because fairness for all would be the optimal scenario for the drivers.
For now, Norris simply has to accept the loss of the possible win, even though it is very painful for him. “There is literally nothing I could have done as a driver today to do a better job,” he laments.
“Got pole, led the race. And then lose it because of something completely out of my control is… I don’t think a race should be won like that,” says the McLaren driver ruefully. “And I think people would agree.”
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