Who slept best last night: Lando Norris

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Dear readers,

oh, the irony! Lando Norris found exactly the right words for his team on the cooldown lap in Madrid. “We were too fast. That was all.” That’s exactly what happened in the truest sense of the word, isn’t it?

Lance Stroll parked his Aston Martin in turn 20 on lap 13 – by the way, he had a brake problem and not simply enough of this race – and Norris was only a few corners away from the spot, with a comfortable lead of around six seconds over Kimi Antonelli.

If he had been just three or four seconds slower on Mediums in this first stint, he could have turned into the pit lane just in time a few moments later when the marshals realized they still had to push the green car to a safer area. And, well, Lance probably could have made a bit more effort to park the car in a more suitable spot, as there was plenty of space. But maybe he really had enough of this car and the temptation to just jump out was simply too great.

Anyway: It was what it was. Those few seconds decided who would win the first Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit.

How six seconds lead became a curse

Race director Rui Marques had no choice but to press the VSC button – triggering a chain of pit stops. Curiously, Norris himself would have still had enough lead over Kimi to stay in front even with McLaren’s slow pit stop if he had stopped exactly at that moment. But it just wasn’t meant to be.

The six-second lead Norris had over Antonelli ultimately ruined his chances of winning. He had just passed the pit entry – and had to slow down two seconds later to comply with the virtual safety car rules. The timing was such that he simply couldn’t make a full lap around the Madrid circuit before the officials had moved the Aston Martin to a safer place. Almost the entire field, however, made a favorable pit stop during this window – and Norris had to change his tires under green.

If only he had been just a bit slower in those first laps, he would have been among them, returned to the track as the leader – and driven towards victory.

Even Antonelli didn’t feel entirely comfortable with it: “It’s nice to win, but it doesn’t feel that good,” the Italian admitted to James Hinchcliffe as he jumped out of the car and was handed the microphone with the F1 logo to tell the world about his race.

Hinchcliffe’s colleague in the F1 broadcast team, Jolyon Palmer, had said earlier this week something about Antonelli’s luck this year: Given how things have gone for Kimi recently, he would have a good chance of winning the lottery. And it’s hard to disagree that he quite accidentally hit the jackpot in Madrid on Sunday.

This certainly doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to lead the championship or win races – you’d have to be crazy to believe that – but life is definitely not testing him as much as last year.

The third win in four races seemed possible

Norris, however, was actually the best driver of the weekend – as he basically has been since McLaren came back to life with their new upgrade in Hungary, except Monza. It should have been Norris’ third win in four races. It’s too late for a real title fight anyway, but he would certainly have excited a few easily enthused observers.

“Had a lot of bad luck today, guys,” said Norris as he rolled back towards the pit lane. “We pretty much deserved the win easily, so a big thank you. I didn’t think we had a chance here, we should have won. Well done, guys. Keep it up. I’ll keep delivering.”

How about that as a demonstration of confidence?

In the press conference, he rightly pointed out that this VSC situation was not the first time someone lost a race this way – and at the same time admitted that he himself had benefited from luck in the past. After all, he won his first race in Miami not least thanks to a well-timed safety car.

Easy come, easy go. If not this time, he will certainly win more races this year. And what a development he has gone through since that Miami win two and a half years ago.

Lando “No Wins” is history

The Lando “No wins” Norris from before that Miami win was full of self-reflection and self-irony. This “I’ll keep delivering” that he slipped into his radio message says quite a lot about how much he now understands his own strengths.

There will still be those who say his title last year might not have been completely deserved – because in 2025 there was at least one driver on the grid who did a better job. But in these past races, we see Norris in absolute top form.

Currently, there is much talk that Formula 1 in 2026 has reduced the difference drivers can make. Max Verstappen made headlines last week after his BBC interview when he used Liam Lawson’s example to show that the best drivers are no longer able to make such a big difference.

That’s a pretty harsh statement, but Max does have a point. Lawson was nowhere near Max’s level on those two weekends last year – and suddenly he scores points under seemingly the same circumstances. However, the bigger context is ignored here. But as a theory, it can probably stand.

George Russell, who is now forced to give explanations week after week, spoke about driving styles during his ten-minute media session on Thursday. He named names. Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence this year must have the same causes as Kimi’s dominance, he hinted. They have similar driving styles, he let slip, and he also included Lando in this list of beneficiaries of the changed regulations.

Piastri has no chance anymore

But Norris quite clearly disproves both theories. It’s not just this year that he makes Oscar Piastri look average. That already happened in 2025. This year the gap just keeps getting bigger. The Australian has nothing to oppose Norris, with the difference between the two hardly clearer – and maybe hardly bigger.

Because it’s simply too difficult to remember many outstanding performances by Piastri this year, unless you count his brilliant acting performance in Google’s latest Pixel ad, where he says: “Watch Oscar Piastri set the fastest lap.” There haven’t been many good laps from Piastri this year – but plenty from Norris.

So something about Verstappen’s and Russell’s theories doesn’t quite add up. Norris proves both wrong: He can make the difference. And it’s not just about driving style.

Mercedes: The championship party is already set

Let’s be honest: He is out of the title fight this year. There will be no comeback – because things like Max Verstappen’s run last year don’t happen regularly. And even if Toto “glass half empty” Wolff says it’s still too early for Antonelli to think about the championship, his marketing department is probably already running at full speed to plan the merchandise launch and a championship tour for the young Italian superstar.

So there is really no reason to be sad about this VSC. Norris just lost one win – one he doesn’t urgently need now and will almost certainly get back very soon.

The most important thing for him is that his team apparently is fully back. This organization under Andrea Stella has something about it that you just have to be impressed by. The way McLaren runs vehicle development today and eliminates one weakness after another is an example of how efficient the processes have become.

And Norris now gives the impression of being the ideal product of this McLaren. A guy with enormous potential, who has been tuned and improved over the years until he became the stronghold he is today.

The 2026 Formula 1 season is basically over. With an 81-point lead over his next pursuer – who isn’t even Norris – Antonelli won’t let that be taken away. But in 2027, when McLaren finds its form again and Norris is driving with such confidence, it will certainly be much closer.

“Being too fast” will win Norris many more races than it will cost him in the future.

Your
Oleg Karpow

Translated from

Missed by two seconds: How did Norris lose the win in Madrid?

Who slept the worst last night: Carlos Sainz