In a nerve-wracking finale at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, Lando Norris faced what he referred to as his “worst nightmare”. Struggling with an increasingly problematic brake pedal on his McLaren MCL39 during the closing stages of the race, Norris nonetheless managed to clinch second place.
The heart-stopping race saw Norris locked in an intense battle against George Russell, not once but twice. Their initial face-off took place at the race’s onset, with a second encounter following the pit-stops round. Norris overcame these challenges to secure the second position and set his sights on the ultimate victor, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
However, Norris’ pursuit was significantly hindered as he grappled with a progressively lengthening brake pedal on his racing machine. By the race’s final lap, the brake pedal had extended to the floor, placing Norris’ second-place standing in serious jeopardy. Despite this, he narrowly maintained his position, with a comfortable 7-second lead dwindling to a mere 1.3 seconds by the time the checkered flag was waved.
Opening up about his harrowing experience, Norris stated, “It’s like my worst nightmare. When I have a nightmare, it’s when the brakes are failing and I was losing two, three, four seconds the last couple of laps so I was a bit scared, but we survived.”
The young driver expressed his disappointment at the missed opportunity to apply pressure on Piastri but acknowledged the overall satisfactory result. As he put it, “We would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure, but not today. So we’re satisfied, great result and we’ll go again next time.”
Despite the brake issue, Norris reflected positively on his aggressive race start in China and his thrilling duels with Russell. He admitted to some initial nervousness when Russell gained an advantage during the pit stops but was pleased with his improved pace in the race’s second half.
レースは予期しないタイヤ管理の問題や驚くべきワンストップ戦略が特徴の挑戦的なものでした。それでも、ノリスはチームメイトのピアストリのパフォーマンスを称賛し、「オスカーはよく走った、レース全体を通して速かった。近づこうとしたけど、結局はできなかった」と言いました。
ピアストリへの潜在的な挑戦について質問されたとき、ノリスはその憶測を否定し、「今は本当に関係ないことだよね?彼は勝つに値したし、週末を通して非常に良く走ったから、僕は2位に満足している」と述べました。
これらの最近の展開により、ノリスは現在ドライバーズスタンディングで44ポイントを獲得し、マックス・フェルスタッペンの8ポイント差でリードしています。彼はチームの成功を優雅に認め、「我々にとって素晴らしいポイントで、1-2フィニッシュだ。だから、パパイヤの皆に大きな感謝を、そしてレースがこうなることを望んでいたので、とても満足している」と感謝の意を表しました。