The contact with Hamilton is just “bad luck” for Norris
After his contact with the Mercedes at turn 1, Lando Norris spent his race at the back of the pack, ruining his superb Barcelona qualification.
Lando Norris’ chances of performing well in yesterday’s Grand Prix were reduced to nothing from the first moments of the race, following his contact with Lewis Hamilton.
The McLaren driver had an excellent performance during the qualifications at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, securing a third place on the starting grid. He matched his best performance since Abu Dhabi 2021.
A few seconds after the lights went out, the young British driver came and damaged his front wing against the left rear wheel of his compatriot’s car. There was no other choice but to stop at the pits.
Head to Montreal
Norris finished only 17th, a lap behind Max Verstappen. But facing the media, he insisted that the collision was just a racing incident. “I didn’t see that Max went wide at turn 1 and had to go over the curb at turn 2,” said Norris. “We checked and I was too close to Lewis to react and brake. I wasn’t lucky. There was no stake, they broke under braking at turn 2 even though we never brake at turn 2.”
When asked about what went through his mind after the contact, Norris simply replied: « F**k ».
Pushed to wonder if Hamilton caused an avoidable contact, Norris insisted: “Lewis did nothing wrong. It wasn’t intentional, it was just bad luck. He made a move and I didn’t know he was going to do it. I just touched his wheel.”
Lando Norris will have two weeks to digest this frustrating Spanish Grand Prix before attempting to collect important points in Montreal, at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.
