Lando Norris pleasantly surprised by podium finish

Lando Norris finished second this Sunday in China. With a great race, the Briton slipped between the two Red Bulls also overtaking Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. A surprising result for the McLaren driver who did not expect to finish in such a high position, especially ahead of the Ferraris. In fact, the driver was faultless during the 56 laps of the Shanghai circuit. While the team and the driver were particularly apprehensive about this circuit making its grand return to the calendar, it was mainly the Ferraris that the Bristol native feared. “I was surprised by many things, the lack of pace from Ferrari, our own pace, and in comparison to the Red Bulls, it was also surprising. I expected to be closer without reaching the podium. We all worked hard and it paid off. I didn’t expect us to finish so far from the Ferraris… but I’m glad I was wrong in my predictions,” he told Nico Rosberg’s microphone after the race.

Doubts vanished

After five years without the Chinese Grand Prix the doubts quickly dissipated for the entire McLaren team and that from the beginning of the weekend. Norris secured pole position for the Saturday sprint race. A few mistakes for the Briton who finished in 6th place but no time to dwell on the many concerns. Starting 4th on the grid, Norris missed his first turn, settled for 7th provisional place and embarked on a successful comeback. He made a series of overtakes, teased Fernando Alonso and passed both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. « We had good pit stops. Everything went well, I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect a race like this, I was able to manage the tires well. It was a simpler task than I thought. I was able to attack as I wanted to open a gap. »

He therefore achieves a fifteenth victory in his career and his second podium of the season after his third place in the Australian Grand Prix on March 24th.