The safety car has stirred up quite a lot of drama in the F1 season, with one being the reason Lando Norris won a race and the other being why he came second. Both times it was Max Verstappen who the McLaren driver was battling against and unlike Miami, this time it was a loss for Norris in Montreal.

Ultimately, a P2 finish is not that bad, especially considering their competition, Ferrari, had to retire both of their cars. Although Norris was leading the race for a significant part of the race, a safety car was called, and he lost his place due to a poorly planned pitstop. After the race, when Norris was asked about the safety car’s influence on the race, he gave an answer explaining how this time things were different.

Lando Norris breaks down the safety car problem at Montreal

When the interviewer from Viaplay asked Lando Norris where he lost pace, the McLaren driver replied, “Behind the safety car.” Norris then accused the interviewer of knowing exactly where his team lost pace but the question was still in place. After confirming that it was the safety car that made Norris finish second, the interview brought up the Miami incident where Verstappen was put behind due to the same reason.

The interviewer stated, “Max said it’s one-one now from what happened in Miami.” Reluctant to accept the opinion, Norris replied, “It’s not one-one because today was not unlucky. Today was not being smart enough as a team, as well.” However, George Russell was in the race for the podium for the first time and he managed to overtake Norris during the race. Explaining that, the Miami GP winner stated, “I mean, I did a good job by overcutting George, so we did a good job. I had a lot of pace still in the car. So I pushed him outside, overcut George. I mean, he still managed to overtake me, but then he made some mistakes.”

Mercedes‘ upgrades are doing wonders, as George Russell started on the pole, but Norris saw his mistakes and took the chance. The McLaren driver then said, “So look, it could have been worse. I think you can look at it that way—it could have been a lot worse. George probably should have finished ahead of us if he didn’t make mistakes. He had a much quicker car from start to finish, especially in the dry. The Mercedes was very quick.”

He explains the problems he faced during the race as the interview told him, “I am trying to end on a positive note here.” To this, the McLaren driver replied, “I’m looking at the positives, but I also look at the negatives. You know, the negatives are what lose the races.” He spoke about the ill-planned pitstop and then said, “We should have made a better decision, but how we’ve improved the car and how much we’re fighting every weekend for first or second is very enjoyable.” But in the end, Norris was still unhappy with the decision that his team made with the pitstop.

The McLaren strategy that cost them the race

Lando Norris felt McLaren “should have won” the Canadian Grand Prix but admitted they “didn’t do a good enough job as a team” during the first Safety Car phase. Despite leading the race by lap 21, Norris lost time as McLaren delayed pitting during the Safety Car, allowing Max Verstappen and George Russell to pit earlier and overtake him. Even Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, went into the pit with the Mercedes and Red Bull cars.

However, it was not until after that lap that Norris was asked to pit while he was leading the race. This led him to lose time enough that Max Verstappen caught up with him and took the lead. After this, it was a game of chasing down the leader while battling Russell’s car. In the end,  Norris finished second but believed a better team strategy could have secured victory. With that said, Norris had the pace, but it was the strategy that lost him the win.

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