Lando Norris narrowly missed the chance to secure a victory in Canada due to a strategic error by the McLaren team. Despite efforts to adopt a different approach during the race, it did not result in the desired outcome. As a result, Norris was unable to claim the victory in Montreal. In response, the British driver openly discussed the team’s mistake.
Norris displayed an impressive performance, overtaking his competitors, including Max Verstappen, who had the advantage of DRS. He quickly took the lead in the race. However, a safety car was deployed after another driver’s accident. This led all drivers to make a pit stop during the safety car period. Norris attempted an overtaking strategy, but it was not successful in helping him pass Verstappen.
The 24-year-old driver acknowledged that he could have followed the same strategy as the other drivers but chose not to, which he now considers a mistake. However, following this strategy allowed Norris to overtake George Russell and secure the second position in the race. Furthermore, Norris believed he could have overtaken Verstappen if he had been quicker in his maneuver when the safety car returned to the pits.
The race in Montreal witnessed several accidents due to the wet track conditions. Therefore, a second place was not the worst result. Norris believed that McLaren had the potential to win the race but fell short. However, he accepted that finishing in second place was a commendable achievement given the challenging circumstances. Nevertheless, this result did not bring the same level of satisfaction as winning the race.
However, Norris made it clear that he had no intention of complaining about the deployment or the conditions of the safety car. He acknowledged that the same safety car played a crucial role in his first victory in Miami. Therefore, in the eyes of the 24-year-old driver, these circumstances are simply part of the racing experience at the pinnacle of motorsport.
McLaren had a good start to the season, surpassing the struggling Red Bull team. They also closed the gap between them and Ferrari after the latter team had a double DNF (did not finish). As a result, the second half of the season promises exciting racing battles between these teams.
