Norris second at Spa: “Oscar did a better job”
Second at the finish of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lando Norris lost the lead to Oscar Piastri on the very first lap after starting on pole. The McLaren driver was unable to reverse the situation and is already looking ahead to the next meeting in Budapest.
Lando Norris finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix, behind his teammate Oscar Piastri. Starting from pole after solid qualifying, the McLaren driver lost the advantage in the first lap and was never able to retake the lead.
The start took place behind the safety car due to difficult visibility conditions. At the restart, Norris attempted to gain an advantage just before the final chicane but couldn’t avoid Piastri’s attack on the climb at Eau Rouge. The Brit quickly lost the position, unable to defend against his teammate: « Oscar just did a good job, nothing more to say. He was more committed at Eau Rouge, took the slipstream, and had the opportunity to pass. », he admitted at the finish.
Norris also clarified that the battery issue reported during the race had nothing to do with the loss of position. According to him, the conditions combined with the slipstream effect amplified by the rain made defense nearly impossible: « It’s not because of a battery issue. I didn’t take the best turn 1, I had two slides on the way out. But that would have only given Oscar even more slipstream. »
A recovery too late
Stayed on track one lap longer than his teammate during the switch to slick tires, Norris conceded several additional seconds due to a less effective out lap. By mid-race, the gap was already nearly ten seconds. Although he gradually reduced this gap, several small mistakes compromised his hopes of victory.
« I had some lock-ups at the hairpin, I went wide at Pouhon, I took a big bounce. I lost a few seconds there. At the same time, Oscar surely made some mistakes too. But in these conditions, it was complicated. I had to attack. I couldn’t just wait, so inevitably you take risks. », he explained.
Norris’s pace remained strong, but not sufficient. Despite making some gains in the final laps, he was never able to get closer than three seconds to his teammate.
Hopes turned towards Budapest
Despite this personally frustrating result, Norris praised McLaren’s collective performance and Piastri’s solidity. Oscar deserved his victory. I’m sure he made some mistakes too, but he did a good job. I will review my own mistakes. But it’s a great result for the team, our first one-two here in many years.
Norris, second in the championship with 250 points, 16 less than his teammate, is already looking forward to the next race: « Budapest is one of my favorite circuits. It’s where I started in Formula 1, and I have good memories there. It’s not that I’m unhappy today, just a little disappointed. But I’m looking forward to next week. », he concluded.
