Lando Norris Blames Sergio Perez for Spoiling a ‘Closer Race’ Against Dominant Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen had a smooth and dominant outing, finishing 19 seconds ahead of his closest rival Lando Norris at the 2023 Japanese GP. However, Norris believes that the race could have been closer had it not been for an incident with Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez. Norris went as far as saying that Perez made him lose 10 seconds, as reported by Junaid on X.

The Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Sergio Perez made contact with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. Both drivers had to make a trip into the pit lane for repairs. During this period, Norris found himself coming up behind Perez, who was at a very slow speed. Norris was unsure whether he could overtake the Red Bull driver or not.

Norris believes he could have finished closer to Max Verstappen at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix had he not been involved in an off-camera incident with Sergio Perez during the virtual safety car. The incident was not picked up by the cameras at Suzuka, but Norris claimed that it cost him up to 10 seconds which left him very flustered in the McLaren pit.

Lando Norris laments being stuck behind Sergio Perez

Lando Norris did not claim that he could have won the race. However, he did suggest that he could have added some troubles for Verstappen. Despite the setback, Norris and his team, McLaren, are setting their sights on Red Bull. As reported by Junaid on X, Norris said:

“It would have been a lot closer. I was stuck behind Perez in VSC, and he probably had a problem, so I couldn’t overtake him. I lost 10 seconds and then the Ferrari’s were on me. To come back to second after loosing 18 seconds, shows how good we performed as a team.”

McLaren’s double podium finish at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix has given the team hope that they are on the right track. In fact, the team is now eyeing Red Bull.