Lando Norris expressed ‘fair satisfaction’ with his second-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Englishman finished above Max Verstappen, who came in sixth, thus gaining another ten points on his title rival. Team boss Andrea Stella believes Norris could have even won the race, had it not been for Verstappen hindering him too much in the opening stages of the race.
In the first few laps, Lando Norris challenged rival Max Verstappen for second place. Eventually, he managed to overtake, but only after both drivers had lost a lot of time to race leader Carlos Sainz. Verstappen was later penalized for his defensive tactics; the stewards handed out two ten-second penalties. Team boss Andrea Stella would have preferred a ‘fairer’ fight and regrets a missed victory for McLaren.
“The idea is that you race fairly,” the Italian told The Times. “That’s what we expect from Lando (Norris) and that’s what Lando expects from himself. It’s very disappointing what I saw in those first few laps. Without that duel, Norris could have competed for the win.” The team boss further emphasized that he does not blame his driver for anything.
We Stand Behind Norris
“Our discussions and internal evaluations have been clear,” said Stella. “We stand behind Lando Norris; his approach is good. He needs to continue racing as he is now.” The Italian takes comfort in the fact that his driver was able to compete with rival Ferrari in the final stages of the race. The Scuderia is making a comeback in the constructors’ championship, but Norris managed to prevent the team from scoring another one-two finish in Mexico; in the last few laps, he overtook Charles Leclerc.
“For me, the most important thing is that the car is competitive,” Stella concluded. “Thanks to our upgrades, we now seem to be on the same level as Ferrari. And that on a circuit where we thought it would be more in Ferrari’s favor. So that’s encouraging for the rest of the season.” The Scuderia has now overtaken Red Bull in the championship and is within twenty-nine points of McLaren.
