The Las Vegas GP saw its first-ever victim, with Lando Norris, suffering a horrifying crash in the early stages of the race. Racing under cold weather conditions, Norris was determined to make up for an early exit in the Qualifying session by going all out when the feature race began. However, Lap 3 of the race saw Norris’ car spinning out of control and hitting the wall before going into the barriers at Turn 12.
Immediately after the impact, Norris told his race engineer that he was okay. However, the Briton did not sound good, as it seemed he was out of breath and in a lot of pain. As the medics escorted Norris off the track in their car, an official announcement from F1 stated the Briton went to the local medical center and, subsequently, the University medical center for further examinations.
At 1 AM EST, McLaren made the announcement that Norris got the discharge from the medics and did not have any grave injuries. The team later released photos of the 24-year-old, who was back in the team’s paddock and featured the hospital’s bracelet on his left wrist.
Upon further inspection, the authorities found out that a bump in the track caused Norris‘ car to bottom out and slip. Addressing the same, Andrea Stella called for a makeover in the track to avoid the same from happening in the future.
Andrea Stella advices F1 to take out the bump responsible for Lando Norris’ crash
Speaking to the media after the race (quoted in a report by Motorsport), Stella said that there was a bump on the track, which was evident with all the cars sparking when going over it. The combination of the bump and cold tires became the recipe for disaster for McLaren as Norris crashed out of the race. He added that having witnessed a lot of oversteer at the spot, the authorities should smoothen out the bump as soon as they can.
However, the McLaren team principal was practical in his approach, as he mentioned the bump was the same for every driver on the grid. He added that the condition and temperature of the tires and the car’s position on the bump also play an important role in determining the outcome. Another factor could have been Norris’ assumption of added grip on the track, which he failed to find. Whatever the cause may have been, the McLaren boss still believes it is crucial to even out the bump, or it could lead to more such instances.
