Madrid GP, Norris frustrated by the Virtual Safety Car
Lando Norris leaves Madrid with a third place that cannot satisfy him. The McLaren driver had a perfect weekend, but was unable to turn it into a victory.
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What heavily affected his race was the timing of the Virtual Safety Car following Lance Stroll’s retirement: declared just after the world champion passed, the VSC allowed the rivals to make their pit stops losing much less time, ending up penalizing Norris himself. Who, in fact, did not hold back in criticizing the race direction.
Norris’s words about the VSC
“I was simply unlucky. I was the only one on the entire grid not to benefit from a free pit stop, so I lost about 20 seconds compared to everyone else. The situation was out of my and the team’s control. It was a perfect weekend and I didn’t win, and it’s frustrating“.
Read more Antonelli legitimizes strokes of luck: Ferrari, a gamble without alternatives
“It’s a rule that shouldn’t decide a race. A GP should be won by whoever manages to deliver the best performance, maybe risking with long stints, because then maybe a Safety Car comes out and you take advantage of it“, he added. “But it’s unfair that everyone else can stop and I can’t. It has happened before, but it’s frustrating to lose this way“.
A win at the Madrid GP would have allowed Norris to reach three wins this season and to overtake Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship. Now the world champion remains fourth, 106 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
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