Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Norris is surprised to finish 3rd
Having made no mistakes, Lando Norris leaves Imola with his first podium this season.
It was a calm and anonymous race for Lando Norris. Starting in 3rd place, the British driver had a good start against Charles Leclerc. Despite overtaking the Monegasque driver, McLaren’s driver also lost a position to Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. On the 8th lap, the driver of the number 16 Ferrari overtook Norris, leaving him to have an anonymous race in 4th position.
Unlike the three leaders ahead of him, Lando Norris did not have the luxury of being able to make a second pit stop. The native of Glastonbury overtook Leclerc during his pit stop, but the following lap, the Ferrari took back the third position. Ultimately, it was the leader of the championship’s exit from the track on the 53rd lap that would give Norris the podium.
« It was an incredible race. A very good weekend for us, to be honest. Being so close to the Red Bulls and the Ferraris surprised us a lot. Considering our performance in the first race and now we’re getting a podium, it’s really surprising. The team deserves it, so well done everyone.
A lot of work has been done at the factory and here in the paddock. With these tricky conditions, we have truly succeeded in maximizing our result.
Third in the Sprint race and then 3rd in the Sunday race, Lando Norris scored 19 points in Imola, which is more than half of the 35 points he has earned this season. The British driver is now in 6th position in the driver’s championship, only 3 points behind his former teammate, Carlos Sainz.
After a disastrous Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren managed to slowly climb back up by scoring points in each of the last 3 races. This podium could well confirm the return of the Woking team to the top of the pack, rather than being stuck in the midfield.
