From the start, Norris was aggressive. Starting fifth, he launched with an excellent clutch release, drawing alongside Oscar Piastri at turn one and making a bold move through the tight left-hander at turn three. With limited space and slower traffic ahead from Max Verstappen, Norris had to adjust his steering, resulting in a minor collision with his teammate.
Fortunately, the consequences were minimal: only the left side panel of Norris’ front wing was slightly tilted, which did not affect the MCL39’s performance. From that point, Norris found himself in no-man’s land—ahead of Oscar Piastri but too far from Verstappen in second place.
It was only in the final laps, after the pit stop, that Lando Norris was able to close in on the four-time world champion, although he could not complete an overtaking maneuver.
“It didn’t go badly for us today,” Norris said in interviews before the podium ceremony. “It was definitely a very challenging race. I was focused on not making mistakes, and Max didn’t either. I had a few opportunities, but attempting them would have been far too risky in terms of the championship. The pace was good, and I would have loved to catch George and pressure him, but overall I’m happy with how things went, especially since we also won the Constructors’ title.”
He also clarified the first-lap contact with Oscar Piastri. “The track was slippery. These things happen in racing. I was on the inside, and there was a small collision. I would have liked to fight harder throughout the race, but I feel I gave everything, and I’m still happy with how it went.”
Leave a Reply