Lando Norris and McLaren played the perfect bluff on everyone with their Chinese GP performance. Before the race weekend kicked off in Shanghai, Norris and Co. shrewdly claimed that they would “struggle” massively due to their weaknesses in the low-speed corners. They perhaps did not realize at the time that the Shanghai International Circuit not only has long straights but also some medium-speed corners, which plays to the strength of the MCL38. This contrast of expectations vs. reality showed up in the Grand Prix as they got a podium with Norris. Now, on top of so much cloak and dagger from the Papaya boys, Norris claimed that he made a bet about how slow McLaren would be relative to Ferrari.
According to Sky Sports F1’s live blog, the Briton said, “I made a bet how far behind the Ferrari we would finish today. I thought 35s – and I was very wrong by that. So happy to be wrong with myself, and my own bets, but a good day for everyone.”
An incredible race from @landonorris today!
A very deserved Driver of the Day. @salesforce#ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/pN8dOa0fh1
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 21, 2024
Multiple aspects of the race weekend caught Norris by surprise. The first one was the “lack of pace from Ferrari”. Given how the Italian team has consistently been the second-best outfit behind Red Bull, the #4 driver did not expect to outperform them in China.
Secondly, he also did not expect to be on the podium. The 24-year-old added, “I got everything ready to go home early and not be on the podium, so it’s a pleasant surprise. But it shows the team have done a good job, have worked hard and it’s paying off.”
Overall, Norris and McLaren did a fantastic job of splitting the two Red Bulls and claiming P2. For the first time this season, the Austrian team has not finished 1-2 when both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez crossed the chequered flag. So, Norris and Co. pulled off a great result, with some shrewd bluffing as well.
Lando Norris surprised everyone in China
Lando Norris stunned everyone during the Sprint qualifying itself at the Chinese GP. As the heavens opened up in SQ3, the British driver showed his class in the wet conditions to take pole during the sprint shootout by a whopping margin of over 1.2 seconds.
This laid down the benchmark for McLaren, as they had already defied their low expectations from the Shanghai weekend. Norris would have been disappointed to not convert his pole position during the sprint race though as he went off the track on the first lap, and handed over the lead to Lewis Hamilton in the process.
However, that did not bog down the 24-year-old as he did well during the Grand Prix qualifying to take a P4 grid slot for Sunday. Before the race, Norris was quite bullish about McLaren’s prospects. He claimed, “Max will be our main competition today. We are going for the win. So, looking forward to it”.
On to the next one. #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/TjahQwDW6N
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 20, 2024
While the Woking team was behind the eight-ball in terms of challenging Max Verstappen for the win, Norris showed the improved pace of the MCL38 during the Grand Prix. After overtaking Fernando Alonso for P3, the Briton pulled off a one-stop strategy to pip Sergio Perez’s Red Bull for second place.
McLaren would be quite motivated with their showing in Shanghai. If they delivered a podium finish at a track where they did not expect to perform well, one would wonder how competitive they would be at circuits that should favor the characteristics of their car.
With tracks like Silverstone and Austria coming up, Norris would be hopeful that he can register his maiden race win and get his team on the top step of the podium.
