McLaren’s Lando Norris is trailing behind Mercedes’ George Russell.
While Lando Norris feels that McLaren left a win on the table in Canada, team boss Andrea Stella, who admits the safety car timing was unfortunate, also highlighted a pace deficit to Mercedes in expressing satisfaction with the result.
After passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell for the race lead before escaping into the distance, a pivotal point for Norris in the victory battle arrived when Logan Sargeant spun out at the exit of Turn 6, triggering the safety car.
McLaren admit Mercedes faster in Canadian GP dry stint
Even though Norris had the opportunity to enter the pit lane when the safety car was deployed, he chose not to and instead stopped for a lap after Russell and Verstappen.
McLaren team principal Stella, speaking to media after the race, confirmed that it could have been done, admitting that Norris got unlucky with the safety car timing having returned to the race now P3.
Stella stated, “After a brief glance, it appears that he was just one and a half seconds away from entering the pit, right around the time when you must make a turn to avoid going straight.”
If we had informed the driver about the safety car situation and the need to pit, he would have instinctively gone to the pit without hesitation. Looking back, we should have given him that instruction.
However, we were keeping an eye on the rain’s intensity and noticed that it had started to decrease in the last few minutes. As a result, we decided against making an unnecessary pit stop for a new set of intermediate tires. We believed that the current set of tires would suffice if the rain continued to be very light.
In my opinion, it seemed much simpler for the car following behind, such as Lando, to react differently. I believe this situation was a bit unfortunate, not just because of when the safety car was introduced in relation to Lando’s position on the track, but also due to the timing of the safety car during the race. This is because, at that particular moment, Lando had clearly established himself as the fastest car.
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After the track dried up, Norris attempted the overcut strategy and exited the pit lane alongside Verstappen, both equipped with slick tires. However, Verstappen, whose Pirelli tires were in optimal condition, managed to take the lead and ultimately emerged victorious in the Canadian Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Norris engaged in a subsequent duel with Russell and emerged triumphant, securing second place.
Norris expressed his frustration by stating, “Today, we should have emerged victorious, it’s that straightforward.” However, Stella countered by arguing that based on pace, Mercedes should have been ahead of Norris in the last dry stint. Despite this, the team’s contentment with the outcome stems from the fact that Mercedes did not manage to achieve this.
Stella agreed with the notion that the team’s progress could be evidenced by the disappointment they felt for not winning.
“Today’s slight disappointment in our potential victory serves as evidence that our team has made significant progress, now being consistent contenders for podium finishes and occasionally even victories.”
While considering the positives, it is worth noting that the team has consistently remained competitive despite fluctuating track conditions. This level of performance cannot be taken for granted, yet it often goes unnoticed and uncredited. Every race weekend is an opportunity to prove oneself and earn recognition.
In the end, our goal is to improve the car’s speed to a certain extent so that we can pursue victory regardless of the track conditions or its specific characteristics.
Today, we must acknowledge that Mercedes was faster than us in dry conditions. Therefore, we are still unable to secure a victory solely based on our performance.
In my opinion, Mercedes should have crossed the finish line before Lando today.
“If anything, we made the most of the resources following the safety car period. Had there been no safety car, Lando might have built up such a significant lead that we could have attempted to finish the race on dry tires.”
However, in my opinion, Mercedes had the potential to catch up since they were slightly faster than us today by a few tenths of a second. Therefore, we required a significant advantage to ensure a safe finish.
“However, it is quite evident that this discussion is somewhat theoretical as, in a race of this nature, it is almost certain that there will be two or three safety cars involved.”
Furthermore, with the presence of fluctuating weather conditions, it became apparent that the outcome of the race would be influenced by several different scenarios. In the end, I believe we are content with today’s result.
In Norris’ recent five races, he has secured a spot on the podium four times, which notably includes his remarkable first F1 triumph in Miami.
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