Sports
Lando Norris Expresses Frustration Over McLaren’s Strategy, Claims Victory Was Within Reach at Canadian GP
"Lando Norris points fingers at McLaren for incorrect Safety Car decision
Lando Norris criticizes McLaren for a misjudged call during a Safety Car phase early on in the Canadian race."
Lando Norris believed McLaren squandered a chance to win at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Beginning the race from the third position, Norris emerged as a competitor for the victory in Montreal, taking the lead twice during Sunday's unpredictable and rainy event, after passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Norris fell behind during the initial Safety Car phase as he remained on his intermediate tires for an extra lap beyond what his competitors did, at a time when the rest of the pack was transitioning to slick tires due to the drying track conditions.
When he exited the pit lane, the British driver found himself back on the track in third place, trailing behind Verstappen and Russell. Norris was then elevated to second position after Russell made an additional pit stop following the deployment of another Safety Car, a spot he maintained until the end.
"Norris stated, 'It's clear we should have secured a victory today. As a team, we failed to execute our strategy properly, particularly in terms of timing our boxing and avoiding getting trapped behind the safety car.'"
"I don't believe it came down to good or bad fortune. It wasn't comparable to what happened in Miami. This was simply a matter of making an incorrect decision, so the responsibility falls on myself and the team, and it's a topic we'll address later."
"We were expected to come out on top today. At our current level, settling for anything less than first place just doesn't cut it. Our aim was to secure a victory, and we fell short of that, which is incredibly disappointing. Despite the challenging race, finishing in second place is somewhat of a consolation, considering the outcome could have been less favorable."
Norris took advantage of a Safety Car period to surpass Verstappen in Miami, emphasizing that McLaren's error was to blame, rather than mere misfortune.
"Remaining on the intermediate tyre gave me an opportunity to compete with George," Norris said.
I surpassed him initially, but subsequently, I failed to maintain a strong performance. He outpaced us significantly on both the dry surface and with the hard tyres. Thus, opting to remain on the track was absolutely the correct strategy and a wise choice on our part, as it significantly benefited my lap time.
"The issue wasn't when the safety car was deployed; I had sufficient time to pit, but we chose not to, so the fault lies with us as a team for not executing well enough in that situation."
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