In the second Formula 1 race of the season, McLaren did not achieve the desired outcome, but British racer Lando Norris expressed satisfaction with the team’s intentions in Jeddah.
Although he acknowledged that McLaren’s strategy during the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was incorrect, Lando Norris was pleased with the team’s level of ambition.
When Lance Stroll’s crash necessitated the use of a safety car, the British Formula One driver elected not to pit and finished in eighth place. Four racers took advantage of the decision; Zhou Guanyu, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Hulkenberg also hoped that a future safety car would help their track position. Norris was one of them.
It was not to be, as Norris finished outside of his qualifying position of sixth despite leading from the restart. In order to prevent further pressure from Hamilton, who changed to soft tires in the final stages, the 24-year-old was even forced to pit earlier than anticipated.
Norris was relieved to see an aggressive approach in the hopes of gaining more points because he feels McLaren frequently plays things too safe. He would only see the team make any changes in retrospect.
“We wanted to try something different and not just stay behind,” Norris said to Motorsport.com. “You never know at the time.”
We had the opportunity to win a large number of points or lose a small number. Ultimately, we suffered a few losses. But sometimes that’s just the way things are. Thus, it was a good attempt, and in my opinion, the decision was the right one.
“I think we’re a little bit safe at times. Additionally, it’s enjoyable to try something new and be a little more assertive. Thus, I’m pleased with our choice.
It wasn’t the best—let’ssaythe right one—at all. That’s in retrospect, though. So, I’m still pleased with how we attempted to carry everything out.”
In the final laps of the race, Hamilton’s switch, according to Norris, forced him to pit for softs. But he thinks that staying outside in Jeddah on his aging medium tires would have been the wisest course of action.
“I had to, because he would have gotten me if I went on the hards,” he uttered. It just takes a few more laps for the hards to finish. In any case, he was dangerously close to getting me. Hence, I believe that I would have opted to go onto the softs.
“I was thrilled that I could have gone to the chequered flag on the medium.” It was obvious that the pace was slower than that of the other guys. However, if I hadn’t boxed, I most likely would have placed higher than I did.
“But I had to, and five laps later, I believe the softs were the right decision. We didn’t employ the best tactic, in my opinion. However, we were somewhat distracted by the fact that I had to cover for Lewis. Nonetheless, I believe we did our best.”
Leave a Reply