Lando Norris suffered a blow in his championship hopes after a dreadful Brazilian Grand Prix which saw him finish 6th after starting from pole position. Max Verstappen miraculously won the race after starting all the way back in P17, making him only the 6th driver in history to make up 16 places or more in a Grand Prix race.
Norris took the lead at the start in Brazil, but his race took a turn for the worse following a pit stop on Lap 28 that left him trailing Verstappen just before the red flag came out on Lap 32. In contrast, Verstappen stayed on track despite the rain worsening, moving up from fifth to second as he managed his worn tires effectively. He later benefited from the red flag, allowing him to change to fresh tires for the restart.
Norris was understandably devastated after the race and let his feelings clear in the post-race interviews claiming that Verstappen was ‘lucky’ to escape with a win at Interlagos. “It shouldn’t have been red-flagged, that was the crash in the end that caused the red so that’s life sometimes. You take a gamble and it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck.”
Norris also slammed the decision to red-flag the race when the race was under the Virtual Safety Car, which is something that has divided opinions among racers and teams over the years.
“They benefited from a rule [allowing tire changes under a red flag] that most people don’t support. While they might have accepted it, every driver has expressed disagreement with it before. It worked in their favor today, and it could have worked for us if we had stayed out, but that’s not a productive way to think. We were just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Naturally, it’s disappointing,” he added.
🗣 Lando Norris after the race:
"You're in a losing battle with these guys cause they can do a lot more, go longer, extend…"
"I'm kind of surprise we box as early as we did… we covered George which I didn't think we needed to, but we'll discuss after in the briefing." pic.twitter.com/js0WtZYxFU
— McLaren News | 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 (@McLarenF1_News) April 7, 2024
Following the race, Norris faced scrutiny for possibly violating the start procedure after Lance Stroll’s crash during the formation lap; however, the stewards ultimately issued him a reprimand along with a fine.
As the McLaren driver now trails Max Verstappen by 62 points, the pressure is mounting on him. With only three races remaining, it appears that Norris may require a miraculous turnaround to remain in the hunt for his first Formula 1 title at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Read More: Max Verstappen Completes Remarkable Comeback in Sao Paulo to Cement Championship Hopes
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
