Norris's challenge fades, but McLaren stays focused on team title
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has emphasized that the team's priority remains to win the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship, despite Lando Norris's diminishing prospects for the Drivers' Championship following the Brazilian Grand Prix.
"The constructors' championship was always our priority, so this doesn't change anything," Stella confirmed. This statement came after Norris, who had started from pole position, finished in sixth place while Max Verstappen claimed victory from 17th on the grid.
Verstappen's win has now placed him 62 points ahead of Norris, his closest challenger, with only three rounds and 86 points remaining in the season. This puts Verstappen in a favorable position to secure his fourth consecutive title during the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this month.
Despite the setback for Norris, McLaren extended their lead over Ferrari to 36 points in the Constructors' Championship standings.
Verstappen's remarkable drive was lauded as one of the greatest performances in the sport's history, even garnering praise from critics of his driving style. However, Norris suggested that luck played a role in his rival's ascent. "He drove well, he got a bit lucky," Norris told Sky Sports.
Verstappen, however, pointed to the difficulties he faced during qualifying. A red flag left him 12th, compounded by a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. Additionally, he had posted the fastest time in the initial phase of qualifying, only to end up 12th in the final standing after the penalty. Meanwhile, Norris barely qualified in 15th.
Luck seemed to favor Verstappen in the race, as a red flag allowed him a free tire change, capitalizing on Norris's earlier pit stop. Nonetheless, Verstappen's success was not without effort—he overtook six cars on the first lap, setting himself up to exploit any advantage.
Norris, in contrast, experienced a difficult race with a series of mistakes including running off the track, which resulted in lost positions. Wet conditions negated any benefit from drag reduction, and McLaren's recurring brake issues hindered performance.
Stella attributed the problems to the car rather than the driver, highlighting persistent brake difficulties. "When we lock the tyres with a car like we have today, I am not looking at the driver. I am looking at why the car keeps locking the front tyres in conditions like this. I don't think pressure was a significant factor at all," explained Stella. "We have struggled with the lock-ups all weekend in wet conditions with both drivers and I think from a car point of view this is also something that we need to look into."
Verstappen's victory, his eighth of the season, also made history by ending a 10-race winless streak and surpassing Michael Schumacher's record of 896 consecutive days leading the championship. Remarkably, victories from 17th or lower on the grid have occurred only five times in the sport's history, underscoring the Dutch driver's exceptional race.
Despite the challenges, McLaren's sights remain firmly set on capturing the Constructors' Championship, reaffirming their strategy and objectives for the remainder of the season.
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