via Imago
L-R: Lando Norris, Zak Brown Image Courtesy: Imago
via Imago
L-R: Lando Norris, Zak Brown Image Courtesy: Imago
The Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Shootout revealed a shocking turn of events that saw Lando Norris, tumbling down the pecking order. Although the McLaren team faced criticism, Norris came to their defense, attributing their misfortune to an unpredictable twist of fate.
💔💔💔
It looked like Lando could squeeze into the lead but he's shuffled all the way back to P10.#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 [Lap 1/24]
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 1, 2023
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Norris, who began the race from third place, found himself embroiled in a high-speed drama when he came within striking distance of second place. However, a sudden spin into the anti-stall mode, caused his McLaren car to practically halt, rather than catapulting him forward, forcing him to watch his rivals overtake him one by one.
“I came a bit sideways, and the car went into anti-stall,” Norris recounts according to Sky Sports, adding, “I don’t know why that happened. Turn 3 was obviously pretty tight, but I just got into the anti-stall. That’s how I lost everything.”
The McLaren driver, who had fought his way back to seventh place, found himself overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg and George Russell, both running on slicks. Norris ended the Sprint in ninth place, a mere spot away from points. Reflecting on the tire strategy, Norris stated, “If there’s a safety car or something happens, the others look like idiots. That’s how we look like idiots.”
A Risky Call for Lando Norris: The Tire Strategy That Divided Opinions
As the circuit dried out, Norris made the bold decision to stick with intermediate tires rather than switching to slicks. It was a gamble that could’ve seen McLaren hailed as heroes had it paid off. However, the last two laps had a different story to tell.
Out of the points on the final lap. 💔
Lando falls to P9 despite a valiant effort on the inters.#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 [Lap 24/24]
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 1, 2023
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Although Norris made a commendable recovery to finish ninth, he chose not to pit for slick tires as the track dried out. This decision cost him as the cars on slicks overtook him in the last laps. Unfortunately, since only the top eight received points in the sprint race, Norris left without any. However, he asserted that his opportunity for a better result was truly lost at the first lap’s Turn 3.
Despite the tribulations, Norris’ spirit remained unbroken. He defended his team’s decisions, underlining the unpredictable nature of racing. While the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Shootout may have been a rollercoaster of fortunes for McLaren, it served as a stark reminder of the razor-thin margins between success and failure in F1.
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