Norris expresses frustration after British Grand Prix: 'threw away' victory
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
SILVERSTONE, England -- Lando Norris, visibly disheartened, expressed his frustration following a third-place finish at the British Grand Prix, lamenting that he and McLaren had "thrown away" a potential victory during a critical stage of the race.
In a rain-affected race that saw dramatic shifts, Norris led until the final pit stop. At this crucial juncture, decisions about tyre selection became pivotal. Norris, leading both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, was left in a quandary as Hamilton and Verstappen made their pit stops a lap earlier but chose different tyres.
McLaren communicated the options to Norris, who seemed uncertain. "Hamilton... I think Hamilton," he said over the radio. "Or do you think medium? I don't mind."
Ultimately, McLaren chose to cover Hamilton by fitting Norris' car with soft tyres. Unfortunately, a sluggish pit stop cost Norris valuable time, causing him to emerge behind Hamilton. This move left the door open for Verstappen to overtake, relegating Norris to third place by the end of the race.
"So many things were going well, and we threw it away in the final stop," Norris reflected post-race. "It was one lap, but also I don't think it was the lap. I think even if I boxed on the perfect lap, our decision to go onto the soft was the wrong one, and I think Lewis still would have won no matter what. Two calls from our side cost us everything today so, especially here, it's pretty disappointing."
Despite having claimed his first F1 win at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this season in May, Norris has since come up short in subsequent races across Imola, Canada, Spain, Austria, and now Silverstone.
Norris did not shy away from self-criticism either. "We are not making the right decisions, but at the same time I blame myself today for not making some of the right decisions," he admitted. "I hate it. I hate ending in this position and having excuses for not doing a good enough job."
The young Englishman remains hopeful that his and his team's fortunes will change soon as he continues to hunt for another win in the upcoming races.
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