Second place at Imola was a valuable result for the Briton, who acknowledged the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, and defended McLaren’s choice to let him and teammate Oscar Piastri fight freely for second place. However, he remains disappointed with his qualifying performance, an area he says still needs improvement.
Lando Norris’s mood at the end of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was somewhere between satisfied and disappointed after finishing second at Imola.
McLaren started from a strong position, with his teammate Oscar Piastri on pole, but Max Verstappen immediately took the lead, and from that point the race quickly shifted in Red Bull’s favor.
According to Norris, it was Max Verstappen’s dominance that allowed him to take control of his own race, while those behind had to chase and battle for the remaining podium spots.
“I expected it would be tough; I think second was the best we could get today. Max and Red Bull were fast, and I don’t think we could really respond to them, not even in the final stint,” Norris told Sky UK.
“It was a long race, but in this situation I can say I’m happy with second place. Even if we had started from pole, I think Max was too quick for us.”
In the second half of the race, Norris benefitted from a different strategy that gave him fresher tyres than his teammate, which allowed him to pass Piastri and claim second place.
On the other hand, the Brit defended the team’s decision to let them fight freely, saying he’s not a fan of team orders.
“Yes, I had better tyres, but I didn’t expect him to just let me through. It was still a tough fight and we almost went wheel-to-wheel into Turn 1, but that’s how it should be.”
“Sure, we both lost some time, but that’s what we have to do to fight for the championship, and I disagree with any specific team orders because if you try to make one happy, the other won’t be. I think we managed it well and the team did a good job.”
Speaking of performance, Norris concluded by pointing out that he still needs to improve in qualifying to give himself more opportunities in the race.
“In the end, I’m very happy with my Sundays so far, I’ve been competitive since the start of the season and I still feel very strong. Unfortunately, it’s on Saturdays where I’m not performing at my best and that makes things harder in the race.”
“I’m not happy with my qualifying performances. I’m working on it as much as possible and doing my best, but it still takes time and I’ll keep pushing because in the race I always have to react and take risks with overtakes. But I’ve always believed in working harder than I should or than necessary, so I remain confident and positive.”
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