Lando Norris finishes fifth in Japan, surpassing expectations and addressing the reality of McLaren’s race pace amidst challenges.
Lando Norris is content with his fifth-place finish in Japan, despite it possibly being seen as a letdown after starting third. The McLaren F1 driver is convinced his car didn’t merit a podium position, especially in race pace.
“It’s always challenging at the start when you’re trying to keep up with a faster car or stay ahead of the Ferraris, which were quicker,” Norris stated. “You damage the tires more, and it becomes somewhat of a downward spiral. We were fighting a losing battle. But it wasn’t a bad day.”
“I believe where we ended up is what we anticipated, that is, behind Ferrari. That’s where we’ve been all season, so it shouldn’t be any different, and it wasn’t. I think we shined in qualifying. I delivered some really strong laps, which might have made us appear a bit too strong. It was more a return to reality.”
Despite feeling under pressure during the race, he notes the gaps were reasonable: “I was only 10 seconds behind Carlos. It seemed worse on track, but being just 10 seconds behind, I think that’s a solid performance on our part.”
“And there were only 30 seconds to gain, which, even if I wasn’t feeling great, isn’t as bad as it seems to me. Tire degradation is huge; we were hoping for more, and perhaps it was a false hope. That’s why it felt tougher. If we had started further back, we would have been thrilled with the fifth place.”
Norris: Starting Third Led to Unrealistic Expectations. Norris: Starting Third Led to Unrealistic Expectations
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