Lando Norris was clearly not in the mood on Sunday evening, as he left the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Briton certainly knew that his title chances had just taken a big hit, in the rain in São Paulo. Starting from pole position, the Englishman did everything wrong at Interlagos. Even before the start, he was guilty of a mistake by re-entering the track… when the start had been aborted. In the end, the 24-year-old driver got away with a simple fine and a reprimand.
When the lights go out, the pilot McLaren lost his pole position advantage to George Russell at the first corner. Then, in a downpour, the championship runner-up decided to stop to fit new intermediates, whileEsteban Ocon, Max Verstappen et Pierre Gasly made the (winning) bet to stay on the track as long as possible… until the red flag was deployed following Franco Colapinto's accident on the 32nd lap.
Fourth at the time of the race interruption, the Briton was already aware that he had just been trapped, while the three leaders were able to change their tires before the restart. A restart that the McLaren driver also missed, with a missed brake and three places lost at the first corner. Coming out 7th, Lando Norris finally finished 6th thanks to his teammate Oscar piastri who let him pass. Far from the winner Max Verstappen at the finish, the Englishman missed a golden opportunity to get closer to the Dutchman in the championship, the latter having a first match point for the title at the next meeting in Las Vegas.
Norris "unlucky"…and at fault
In the mixed zone after the finish, Lando Norris struggled to hide his frustration at being trapped. A little bitter about his defeat, the Briton downplayed Max Verstappen's victory simply because of luck. “I don’t care what people say. Not pitting was the wrong thing to do. A red flag shouldn’t have happened, but the crash ultimately brought one. That’s life. Sometimes you take a gamble and it paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck, estimates the Englishman. We were just unlucky, that's all. (…) You can change your tyres under the red flag, that's what the others did, so it's just bad luck. Sometimes things go your way."
"I still made some mistakes, he recognizes however. [On the restart] I had cars from all sides. I locked the rear wheels, I went off track, I lost two positions. So it's not a perfect race for me, but I think whatever happens, fourth place was the best result you could get today for those who were unlucky. For the rest, we'll keep our heads down."
The Briton is now 62 points behind Max Verstappen, with three Grands Prix and a Sprint to go before the end of the season. Unless something cataclysmic happens for the Dutchman, Lando Norris no longer has any chance of the title: if Max Verstappen finishes ahead of him in Las Vegas, then the title will go to the driver Red Bull.
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Vallejo
05/11/2024 at 06:07 a.m.
Bad player
JP'S
04/11/2024 at 03:26 a.m.
And..He still complains while he himself benefited from a safety car error in MIAMI to win the race ahead of Verstappen!!! AND, He was very lucky to escape a "real" penalty for going off at the flashing lights...and when he went off on lap 45, he got back on track with an advantage over two competitors.. Very bad loser.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
04/11/2024 at 11:49 a.m.
Luck is something you can provoke! my grandmother used to say. Norris doesn't display the same aggressiveness (or even cunning) as his friend Verstappen and that makes the difference, especially since the Dutchman drove cleanly at Interlagos. I was convinced for several months that Nelson Piquet's son-in-law would be world champion for the 4th consecutive time by playing the grocer with the help of his team, but at Interlagos, he definitively wrapped up the Drivers' Championship, not forgetting that Piastri was a bit faster than Norris even after the reversal of positions.
Bernard JOUVENE
04/11/2024 at 11:42 a.m.
Spoiled brat! Unlike Stroll he has talent but no humility, Max has talent to spare and he was raised the hard way! Lando is 15th in Q1, Max gets a red in Q2 and starts 17th, he has a splendid race without a mistake and gets a red at the right time, bravo to those who dare, RBR, ALPINE .Lando is already KO in the pit line, you can see it in his attitude and then foul after foul! A really bad loser! Max choose better friends...
vincent moyet
04/11/2024 at 10:46 a.m.
It's not luck for RBR, it was obvious that in such conditions there would be opportunities for a free stop. McLaren lost big by not taking that into account, and RBR logically knew how to take advantage of it. Of course it's a shame for the suspense, because there is a good chance that the championship will be decided before the last GP.
Warnecke
04/11/2024 at 10:13 a.m.
What a bad loser!!! When he can't provoke on the track he has to do it in an interview, sad to have friends like that, I hope Max realizes
YL
04/11/2024 at 09:58 a.m.
The difference between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris is not due to luck - he forgets a little quickly that he took advantage of it to get the pole this weekend which he did not know how to take advantage of - but to driving and mentality: Norris spends his time complaining and makes a lot of mistakes. His teammate Oscar Piastri will probably be No. 1 before him!