Lando Norris finished P2 in the US GP after Lewis Hamilton got disqualified. McLaren was one of the fastest teams in COTA on Sunday, with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari in the mix too. One team, however, that was nowhere near the front was Aston Martin. Because of this, Norris decided to rub salt in Fernando Alonso‘s wounds, as he questioned the Silverstone-based outfit’s development in the post-race interview.
P2. A nice little 100th GP gift ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iRfTg62e5l
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) October 23, 2023
Aston Martin started the season strongly, with a motivated Alonso ready to guide the team to new heights. They were one of the top teams in the first half of the season but their charge fell off as the year progressed. The main reason behind this was their poor development, which seemed to slow down their car instead of making it faster.
Norris, who was fairly happy with his own performance in Austin on Sunday decided to talk about Alonso and Aston Martin after the race. He spoke about their development in particular.
Aston Martin keeps getting slower, says Lando Norris
At one point this season, Fernando Alonso was looking to get his 33rd race win, with only Max Verstappen faster than him. However, Mercedes, Ferrari and then McLaren caught up with their strong development packages. Lawrence Stroll’s team meanwhile, started losing ground to all the aforementioned teams.
Norris, at the Circuit of the Americas, said (as per a video posted by Nini on X), “Its been clear that Aston are just, I don’t know. they have seem to made the car slower and slower with every upgrade they brought.”
lando: its been clear that aston are just, i dont know. they have seem to made the car slower and slower with every upgrade they brought … what?
the “what” hes like “im just speaking facts” 😭 pic.twitter.com/kiDb3nG0ON
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) October 22, 2023
Alonso will be hoping that Aston Martin make big strides next year too, because at the age of 42, time is running out for him to get his 33rd race win, let alone challenge for the title once again. Norris on the other hand, is driving for a resurgent McLaren team, and has a lot of time ahead of him.
Norris with his 12th career podium in COTA
Lando Norris crossed the finish line in Austin in P3 which was a good enough result as it was. McLaren wasn’t as fast as Mercedes in terms of race pace. Additionally, Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri had to retire from the race due to mechanical issues.
However, when Lewis Hamilton (and Charles Leclerc) got disqualified after the race, Norris got the former’s position. The Bristol-born driver got his P3 trophy upgraded to P2. This was a huge moment in McLaren’s bid to get Aston Martin and seal P4 in the constructors’ championship.
Norris’ P2 was also his 12th career podium. However, he will be looking to convert one of those into a win in the near future.
