Norris reveals: 'I was praying for one more lap' at Imola
Norris: one more lap could have changed everything.
IMOLA, Italy -- Lando Norris expressed a mix of disappointment and resolve after narrowly missing out on victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The McLaren driver finished a mere 0.725 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen, longing for just one more lap to launch a decisive attack.
Norris showcased an impressive charge in the final 20 laps, slicing Verstappen's lead from over six seconds down to under one second. This late-race performance was a testament to the prowess of the upgraded McLaren, which had already earned him victory at the Miami Grand Prix two weeks prior.
Inching ever closer, Norris was within a second of Verstappen on the final lap. One additional lap would have allowed him to activate the DRS overtaking aid, potentially altering the outcome into the first corner.
"I was just praying for one more lap," Norris said. "I was just praying for someone to say one more lap. I don't know why. I mean, I just did everything I could. I was pushing like hell to get there and catch up and have a chance. But as soon as you get within two seconds, you start to lose downforce and grip. The tyres start to overheat again.
"I kind of struggled for a couple laps, but once I understood how I had to drive again, like the last lap I managed to get there, and seven tenths, like one more lap, at least he would have had to defend into Turn One, and maybe something could have come from that, but one lap too late.
"It's a shame, but it is what it is, and we just struggled too much in the beginning of the race," Norris concluded.
Norris' second-place finish is another strong result for McLaren, building on the momentum from Miami. Despite the strong performances, Norris acknowledges that Red Bull still holds an edge.
"I would hope so," he said, referring to challenging Red Bull more frequently. "There's no reason after a couple tracks you would want to deny it. We also had a second in China, so we've had second, first, second, you know, and I think that's good signs.
"I don't think we're at their [Red Bull's] level just yet. As we saw today, they still have areas where they're better and maybe some areas where we are better now, which is a good sign. But yeah, I think there's going to be tracks where we can be stronger.
"I'm still looking forward to a couple of those tracks, but there's going to be somewhere a little bit off still. So we're working on those places and if we work and improve on them as much as we have the rest of the car, then I'm excited that we can definitely continue to fight them in more races."
While Norris remains cautiously optimistic, he is clearly driven by the recent performances and the potential for future success. With the upgrades showing significant promise, McLaren is poised to be a formidable contender in the races to come. The next few circuits will reveal whether Norris and McLaren can indeed close the gap to Red Bull and consistently challenge for victories.
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