McLaren fans have a lot of unanswered questions following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This is because they witnessed Lando Norris not opt for a cheap pit stop under the early safety car. Because of this risky ‘gamble’, Norris finished the race in P8, just ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver has now revealed the team’s reasons for not calling him in earlier.
Compared to most of his peers, Norris adopted a different approach. The 24-year-old did not pit under the safety car, in contrast to the majority of his rivals. As a result, he was forced to pit really late, and this decision impacted his points tally.
Speaking about the same in an interview with Sky Sports F1, Norris said, “We gambled. We were hoping for another safety car but that didn’t happen. We tried.”
Lando talking more about McLaren’s strategy gamble today pic.twitter.com/7zcDLFhBXg
— Lando Norris Fans (@Norrislandofans) March 9, 2024
While Norris may have been unlucky to not get a higher point haul after the race, he was fortunate to escape a jump start penalty. Russell raised the alarm at the start of the race, stating that Norris had moved into his grid box before the lights went out.
Although the stewards did note the moment, they dismissed the matter, stating that Norris’s car’s FIA transponder had not indicated a jump start. The 24-year-old may indeed have had a mixed race, but he was happy with the pace of the MCL38.
Lando Norris satisfied with McLaren’s pace in Jeddah
Despite his disappointing performance in Jeddah, Lando Norris feels optimistic about McLaren’s MCL38. According to the Briton, the overall performance of the car was good and the problem for now is that he and his team did not maximize the number of points they should have scored during the race.
Plenty of positives to take.
Andrea Stella, our Team Principal, looks back on our race and the reasoning behind our decisions. #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/lmB5YEib7T
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 9, 2024
He then explained how McLaren’s pace is similar to the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes. However, Norris does believe that the Woking-based outfit have fallen behind Ferrari as compared to last season.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, did indeed seem to utilize the improved pace of the MCL38 as he finished fourth. The Australian finished just behind the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
