Lando Norris supports McLaren F1’s aggressive strategy in Jeddah, valuing their venture beyond comfort zones despite the outcome.
Lando Norris believes McLaren F1 made the right call in adopting a more aggressive strategy in Jeddah, opting to stay out when the safety car was deployed. The British driver ended up finishing several places behind his teammate but appreciates his team stepping out of their comfort zone.
“At that moment, you never know, and we wanted to try something different instead of just following behind,” Norris stated. “We could have gained a lot of points or lost a few. In the end, we lost some. But that’s how it is. So, it was a good attempt, and I think it was the right decision to make.”
“Sometimes, I feel we play it too safe. It’s good to be a bit more aggressive and try something different. So, I’m happy with our decision. It wasn’t the best, or let’s say the right one. But it’s in the past. I’m thus satisfied with how we tried to execute everything.”
Title: Strategy Misalignment Impact
Once out of sync, Norris did not benefit from the best tactic, as McLaren had to cover Lewis Hamilton and didn’t pit their driver at the ideal moment: “I had no choice, if I had gone for the hard tires, he would have got me. It just takes a few more laps for the hard tire to get into its operating window. And he was very close to getting me anyway.”
“So, I think I would have chosen to go for the soft tires. I could have gone to the checkered flag on mediums, I was very happy with that. Obviously, the pace wasn’t very good compared to the other drivers. But I probably would have finished higher than I did if I hadn’t stopped.”
“But I had to do it, and the soft tires were, I think, the right thing to do, but five laps later. I don’t think we chose the best strategy. But I had to cover Lewis, which kind of disrupted us.”
Norris praised Ollie Bearman, who managed to stay out of reach from him and Hamilton when necessary: “I think he had a good race. The soft tires were good for two laps, then they peaked and were gone. So maybe a hard tire would have been a good choice in hindsight. But as I said, I couldn’t do it because of Lewis.”
Norris McLaren Strategy Jeddah. Norris McLaren Strategy Jeddah
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