Lando Norris has expressed his concerns over McLaren’s strategic choices this season, emphasising that they have “lost too many points” due to what he considers to be “bad” decisions.
Norris’s remarks come in the aftermath of yet another missed opportunity at the Dutch Grand Prix, where McLaren’s strategy choices once again impacted their performance on the track.
The British driver showcased McLaren’s mid-season resurgence as he secured a remarkable second place in the qualifying session.
The team’s potential, however, was obscured by an untimely pitstop during the onset of rain at the Zandvoort circuit.
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McLaren’s decision to switch Norris to Intermediate tires only at the end of Lap 3 resulted in a significant setback, causing him to plummet to the back of the pack.
Although McLaren managed to optimise strategy during subsequent phases of the race, recovering valuable points for both drivers, Norris lamented the initial delay that had set the tone for their performance.
Reflecting on the team’s strategic misstep, Norris remarked, “It’s clear we made the wrong decision, we made a bad decision, it’s something we’ll talk about and review, we’ve made a couple this season, we’ve lost too many positions and too many points with a couple of these things.”
Acknowledging his tendency to avoid sensationalism, Norris refrained from elaborating further, stating, “I’m not going to talk too much otherwise I’ll create a headline and I’m really bad at that.”
Despite the challenges faced, Norris emphasised the team’s resilience and ability to bounce back, evidenced by the latter part of the race where improved decisions were made.
Drawing parallels with past experiences, Norris mentioned the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where he missed out on his maiden race victory due to strategic complications.
While he noted the distinct nature of the situations, he stressed the importance of enhancing McLaren’s race-reading capabilities, particularly when weather conditions take an unpredictable turn.
“It changes, I think there’s been plenty of times we made the right decision and the good decisions, and we’ve gained, but generally you remember more the ones that you lose on than you gain on, so I don’t think it’s really the same thing,” Norris argued.
“I think they’re quite different, and we’ve made some good progress with a lot of if, but days like today were evident we were a long way from where we needed to be.”
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The Dutch Grand Prix presented another opportunity for Norris and George Russell to engage in fierce on-track battles, displaying their competitive spirit.
However, a slight contact at Turn 12 resulted in a puncture for Russell’s Mercedes, highlighting the delicate nature of contemporary Formula 1 cars.
Norris described the incident, noting, “Yeah just the cars are so sharp nowadays you touch a bit and you have four punctures all of a sudden, so, it was just good racing, we were close, wheel to wheel, I feel bad he came off that way but nothing I could have done differently.”