McLaren driver Lando Norris lost a position to Max Verstappen right at the start of the Formula 1 race in Barcelona.
“To be honest, I don’t remember exactly,” says Norris. “All I remember is that the lights went out pretty quickly. That surprised me a bit, and then I just couldn’t get any slipstream.“
Verstappen, who started from P3, immediately latched onto Norris’ McLaren teammate Piastri, outmaneuvering Norris. ”Then it was difficult to commit to braking for Turn 1, and Max got past me,” said Norris.
Why Norris didn’t panic
But he didn’t put too much pressure on himself at that point: “We knew our pace would be strong, so I didn’t have to take any risks in Turn 1.” That’s why Norris was initially satisfied with third place before passing Verstappen on lap 13 and regaining second place.
Did losing his position to Verstappen at the start prevent a better result? Norris waves this off: “I don’t think it cost me that much in the race. Oscar drove a very good race. I had the pace to keep up with him, but I wasn’t fast enough to catch him and put him under pressure.”
Piastri thus secured his fifth victory of the season in his ninth Grand Prix of the year. “It’s really hard to complain,” said Piastri, raving about his “great year so far,” which continued in Barcelona “just as I had hoped.”
