During a press conference, Lando Norris engages in conversation with the media.
Lando Norris missed out on a second Grand Prix victory at Imola on Sunday as he finished 0.7s behind Max Verstappen at the line.
Had his prayers been answered on that day, it could have been a completely different story.
Lando Norris missed out on the Imola win by 0.725s
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix started off with Verstappen’s commanding performance, but it was during the last 13 laps that the race truly came alive as Norris started narrowing the gap with Verstappen.
While the Dutchman expressed his dissatisfaction with the insufficient traction and the failure of his battery to charge, Norris managed to narrow the gap to nearly one second. However, his Red Bull competitor promptly increased his speed.
But with his tyres going, Norris again closed up to run with DRS range in the closing laps but alas fell 0.725s shy of the victory.
The McLaren driver’s unfortunate day brought a chuckle from Verstappen, who shared a misleading moment of excitement that turned out to be his only major highlight.
He informed the reigning World Champion, “There was someone who went through the gravel, and I couldn’t help but think, ‘I hope it’s Max!'”
How the 2024 team-mate tussles are shaping up
F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates
F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
However, Norris had another prayer – hoping that there was an additional lap to go, since he was the faster of the two drivers in the final laps.
“I was simply pleading for an additional lap,” expressed Norris. “I was desperately hoping for someone to request one more lap. I cannot fathom the reason behind my wish.”
“Yeah, I gave it my all. I pushed myself relentlessly to reach that point and catch up, hoping for a chance.”
However, once you approach a distance of two seconds, the loss of downforce and grip becomes noticeable. Consequently, the tires begin to overheat once more.
“I faced some challenges for a few laps, but once I regained my understanding of the driving technique, I managed to catch up on the last lap. I closed the gap by seven-tenths and had the opportunity to challenge him into Turn 1 on the following lap. Perhaps something positive could have resulted from that, but unfortunately, it was one lap too late.”
“It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality, and we faced significant challenges at the start of the race.”
Norris is fourth in the Drivers’ Championship after his Imola haul, the driver on 101 points with Verstappen leading on 161.
Read next: Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!
