Despite McLaren’s Step Up, Lando Norris Blames Stubborn Alpine’s Strategy for an “Unlucky” Race in Baku

Today’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a very interesting race from the viewpoint of the championship. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez proved today that if the championship battle will go down to the wire, then it’ll only be between the two of them in 2023. However, while both of them would be reveling in a title fight, other drivers didn’t find the event too enticing. One such driver would be the McLaren ace, Lando Norris.

Norris, who qualified seventh on the grid during Friday’s revamped Qualifying session would’ve hoped for a good haul of points. Be that as it may, in reality, the Brit fell backward through the pack and finished only ninth in the end. And his frustrations afterward were very visible.

Lando Norris reacts to disappointing Baku outing

The 23-year-old found it difficult to cope with the pace of the others all through the race. Then, to add insult to injury, the Brit had pitted just a lap before the Safety Car was called out as Nyck de Vries retired. Hence, Norris was pushed into disarraying traffic.

He was quoted post-race as saying, “Long race. With just 20 laps in I was hoping it was the end already. We were unlucky with the safety car came out a lap after we boxed. We didn’t loose out in actual positions. We just lost out to [Nico] Hulkenberg and [Esteban] Ocon, but they had to stop still.”

Norris was referring to the aggressive one-stop strategy that Alpine tried to employ with Ocon. However, it only acted as an impediment for Norris to progress.

Read More: Sergio Perez Issues Stern Warning to Max Verstappen While Setting His Goals for 2023 Season

While Norris rued another missed opportunity today, there are still a few positives to take home from Baku.

A bittersweet Grand Prix for Norris

It was a tough outing for the British team. However, given that they had new and massive upgrades on the car this weekend, it was an important learning ground, too. But with a solid Qualifying result, does Norris now feel more confident in the MCL60’s prowess?

He told Sky, “It’s a great result. The sequence of the upgrades working well, the car was working well on this circuit at the same time. I feel like I did a better job of my driving and things.  I should have been a lot better really. I think we should have been P4 today. A bit disappointed, honestly.”  

“We as a team didn’t do the best job with making the correct decisions of what to do. But apart from that, things are still positive.” 

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Can McLaren climb higher the championship ladder in 2023?