Lando Norris described Max Verstappen's victory in Brazil and indirectly the podium of the two Alpine drivers as “simple chance”.
The McLaren driver had a good qualifying session to earn the right to start from the first mark on the starting grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, nothing went as planned. Indeed, from the start, Lando Norris saw George Russell take the lead of the race. The two men seemed well on their way to fighting for victory, but the rain, the race direction and Franco Colapinto decided otherwise.
As the rain fell with force on the Brazilian track, some drivers decided to go to the pits to put on a second set of intermediate or wet tires. Others made almost crazy bets to stay on the track and wait for a race to happen.
We didn't have to wait too long, the deluge that hit Sao Paulo prompted the race management to bring the safety car onto the track. While everything had gone smoothly since the start of the Grand Prix, the drop in pace behind the VS and therefore the drop in tire temperatures probably played a big role in Franco Colapinto's accident. This crash caused the race to be neutralized with a red flag. A racing incident which ultimately completely turned the course of the Grand Prix upside down.
The red flag perfectly helped Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, who had not yet stopped and who were able to change tires “for free” during the race interruption.
After the race, during his interview with F1 TV, Norris expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the red flag.
“You can change tires under the red flag”, he said. “That’s what the others did. It's bad luck. It's unfortunate, sometimes it happens like that. We didn't do anything wrong. I don’t care what people say.”
Read also: A simple fine for Norris and Russell following the aborted departure incident
Norris didn't have the “perfect” race
“Staying on track was not the right thing to do. There shouldn’t have been a red flag and there was the accident at the end that caused the red flag.”
“That’s life sometimes. We took a gamble, it paid off for them. It's not talent, it's luck. A little unlucky, that’s all.”
If he may indeed harbor regrets about this interruption of the race, Lando Norris also knows that he did not have a perfect race.
“I still made a few mistakes”, he added. “I had cars on my left, on my right, I blocked the rear and left.”
“I lost two positions. It's my fault. The race was not perfect for me. I think regardless, fourth place was the best result you could get among those who didn't box and were unlucky”, concluded the McLaren driver.
Read also: Verstappen “felt like destroying the garage” after his failed qualification
