A behind-the-scenes dialogue between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the cooldown room has shed light on a hidden error by Norris during the final phase of the Australian Grand Prix. A mistake that largely went unnoticed, thanks to its absence from the televised coverage of the race.
Living up to the hype as the potential Formula 1 champions of 2025, Norris, along with McLaren, triumphed in the season’s inaugural event in Melbourne. This race, marked by its unpredictable weather, was Norris’s fifth career win. The British racer had previously secured four victories, propelling him to the second spot in the 2024 championship standings.
The final moments of the race were marked by a change in the leaderboard when the skies opened up over the Albert Park circuit. Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri, lost control and spun out, escalating the tension and prompting the deployment of a late Safety Car.
Ahead of the pack by about 1.5 seconds as he approached Lap 55 out of 57, Norris’s lead over Verstappen inexplicably shrunk to around 0.6 seconds for the remaining two and a half laps. Despite the Red Bull racer having the advantage of the Drag Reduction System (DRS), Norris managed to maintain his lead, crossing the finish line just 0.895 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
In the cooldown room, before the winners took to the podium, Norris candidly admitted to a blunder at Turn 6, which had potentially given Verstappen an opportunity to snatch the win. Their conversation went something like this:
Norris: “I messed up in Turn 6, giving you a chance to overtake me.”
Verstappen: “Honestly, you were only slightly to the left. It wasn’t even that much.”
Norris: “Really?”
Verstappen: “Yes. You didn’t veer off too much.”
Norris: “But you had DRS with inters.”
Verstappen: “Yes, and it was a significant advantage.”
Although Norris’s subsequent statement was not clearly audible, his gestures of holding his hands as if gripping a steering wheel and repeatedly looking to his left suggested that he was constantly keeping an eye on his rear-view mirrors during the race’s nerve-wracking finale.
Verstappen conceded that overtaking at the circuit is quite challenging, stating, “It’s tough to overtake here. Unless the car in front is in severe trouble, it’s almost impossible.”
This revelation came shortly after Verstappen’s post-race interview in parc ferme where he pointed out Norris’s slip-up. Verstappen said, “Lando had a little moment on entry of Turn 6, where he lost a lot of momentum, which allowed me to close in. But despite having DRS, overtaking here is tough. Still, those last laps pushing for the win were exciting. I’m just thrilled to have finished the race, earned good points, and set a decent starting point for us.”
