Norris, decisive defeat
There is a saying in sport that he who doesn’t win, explains. Today it was the turn of Lando Norris explain the reasons for one bitter defeat in the Sao Paulo GP: the Englishman from McLaren started from pole position and finished the GP in sixth position; his title rival, Max Verstappen, started 17th and won the race. Norris, however, opposed the narrative that speaks of the feat accomplished by the Dutchman and instead focused his attention on the red flag caused by Franco Colapinto’s bad accident under the Safety Car, which allowed those who had not stopped in the pits to replace the intermediate tires with new ones – always wet – to have a free pit stop. This was how Verstappen, who had already recovered up to fourth place, managed to overtake the #4.
Verstappen “lucky”. And that red flag…
“Verstappen? He drove well and was lucky.” Norris stated on the official F1 channel. Words intended to spark discussion: “I had faith in the team and in what they said – added the McLaren driver, explaining the pit stop which essentially made him lose the battle for the podium – I trust them. This is luck for them [la Red Bull, n.d.r.]. They got lucky. They benefited from a rule that is not appreciated by anyone. None of us riders agree, but maybe they do now”. The reference is obviously to the possibility of changing tires under the red flag regime, a possibility that has often caused strategic ‘upheavals’ in the Grands Prix of recent years.
“Sometimes things go one way and sometimes the other – concluded Norris – with the red flag the stops were free. George [Russell] he deserved to win the race. The end result? It’s a gamble that paid off, it’s not talent, it’s just luck”. Now the ranking is crying for Norris: the Englishman is -62 points behind Verstappen with three GPs and one Sprint race still to go. The fourth consecutive title for the Dutchman really seems like a simple formality.
