A race win was on offer for Lando Norris after grabbing the pole position in Spain. However, a bad start proved costly for the Briton as Max Verstappen punished him for the rest of the race. Norris ultimately finished the race in second while also picking the fastest lap along the way. However, he was far from happy, as was evident on his radio.
Despite the disappointment, the McLaren star was thankful to the team for delivering a competitive car. Moreover, he claimed the car was the fastest on the grid but took the blame for losing the position right from the start.
Speaking on the team radio, the 24-year-old said, “I should have won. I got a bad start. As simple as that. The car was incredible today. We were for sure the quickest. I just lost it at the beginning. Disappointed but a lot of positives. One negative and that kind of ruined everything. I know that. Apart from that, a good amount of points and thanks to the team because the car’s amazing.”
p2 in the race & p2 in the championship & fastest lap & driver of the day for lando norris ‼️
— comfort lando (@safeforlando) June 23, 2024
Norris got off to a fairly good start and managed to squeeze Verstappen into an uncomfortable position. As he went off wide into the grass, the Dutchman had no choice but to concede position. However, the move gave George Russell the perfect opportunity to pass the duo into the first corner.
The Mercedes driver could not hold the position for too long, though as Verstappen took the race lead in the first lap itself. That put Norris in P3, leaving him playing the chasing game for the rest of the race. An undercut later saw him make some positions but it was never enough to restore the race lead.
McLaren and Lando Norris take the challenger’s position from Ferrari
Ever since the race win in Monaco, Ferrari has failed to carry the momentum in the races that followed. The Prancing Horse was nowhere near the top spot holders in qualifying or the race in Montreal. McLaren, meanwhile, took advantage of their piling misery to land the podium through.
Ferrari faced a similar fate in Barcelona, and again, Lando Norris was there to capitalize. The Spanish GP completes the first fixture of the European triple-header and might just be the trailer of what is to come for the rest of the two races.
That is until Ferrari brings some crucial upgrades or makes some much-needed tweaks to the car. Else, McLaren is breathing down their necks to take second place in the standings.
