Lando Norris, so close and so far from winning in Austin: “It was too difficult”

Leader of the United States Grand Prix during the first 27 laps, Lando Norris (McLaren) thought his day of glory had finally arrived, on the occasion of his 100th start in Formula 1. Alas, the Briton was less strong than the ogre Max Verstappen (Red Bull), unstoppable in this 2023 season.

ALSO READ > Lewis Hamilton back in action in Austin: “I caught up with Max at the end of the race”

Superb driving, @LandoNorris... 💪#USGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/0IjvxaYdpI

- McLaren (@ McLarenF1) October 22, 2023

Initially ranked third behind the Dutchman and his compatriot Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Lando Norris equaled his best result in F1 with second position.

“The pace over the first 10 laps of each relay, the pace at the start of the race was really strong, was content with Lando Norris. I just couldn't hang on long enough. We're getting there, we're making progress, we're making progress every weekend, we just have a few more steps to go. »

Lando Norris had no regrets anyway because his final stint was too slow compared to Max Verstappen. “I didn't have enough tires left at the end. You saw how quickly he (Verstappen) came off at the end. I also had to take care of my own race. I did my best. I had to push and pay attention to the tires, and it was too difficult today. »

“Maybe if the track temperature had been cooler it would have suited us a little more, but that wasn't the case. But I'm still happy, the team did a great job. To finish on the podium here is better than we expected before the weekend, so I'm very happy. »