Lando Norris was clearly not in the mood on Sunday evening after the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Briton certainly knew that his title chances had just taken a big hit, in the Paulista rain. Starting from pole position, the Englishman did everything wrong at Interlagos. Even before the start, he made a mistake by resuming the track… even though the start was aborted. In the end, the 24-year-old pilot got away with a simple fine and a reprimand.
When the lights went out, the McLaren driver lost his pole advantage to George Russell at the first corner. Then, under a deluge, the runner-up in the championship decided to stop to put on new intermediates, while Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly made the (winning) bet to stay on the track as long as possible… until 'to the red flag displayed following Franco Colapinto's accident on the 32nd lap.
Fourth when the race was interrupted, the Briton was already aware that he had just been trapped, while the three leading men were able to change their tires before the restart. A restart that the McLaren driver also missed, with poor braking and losing three places at the first corner. Coming out 7th, Lando Norris finally finished 6th thanks to his teammate Oscar Piastri who let him pass. Far from the winner Max Verstappen at the finish, the Englishman missed a golden opportunity to get closer to the Dutchman in the championship, the latter having a first match point for the title at the next meeting in Las Vegas.
Norris “unlucky”…and at fault
In the mixed zone after the finish, Lando Norris struggled to hide the frustration of being trapped. A little bitter by his defeat, the Briton devalues Max Verstappen's victory simply by luck. “I don’t care what people say. Not coming into the pits was not the right thing to do. A red flag shouldn't have come, but the crash ultimately brought one. That's life. Sometimes you make a bet and it pays off for them. It's not talent, it's just luck, believes the Englishman. We were just unlucky, that's all. (…) You can change your tires under the red flag, that's what the others did, so it's just unlucky. Sometimes things work out the way you want them to. »
“I still made a few mistakes, However, he recognizes. [À la relance] I had cars on all sides. I locked the rear wheels, went off the track, lost two positions. So it's not a perfect race for me, but I think whatever happens, fourth place was the best result we could get today for those who were unlucky. For the rest, we will keep our heads down. »
The Briton is now 62 points behind Max Verstappen, with three Grands Prix and a Sprint to contest between now and the end of the season. Unless there is a cataclysm for the Dutchman, Lando Norris no longer has any chance of the title: if Max Verstappen finishes ahead of him in Las Vegas, then the title will go to the Red Bull driver.
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