Lando Norris, who started the 2024 Chinese GP from the second row of the grid, pipped the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez to claim a stellar P2 finish at the chequered flag. In the aftermath of his podium heroics, the 24-year-old dedicated the second podium of his 2024 season to his mother.
Norris‘ mother Cisca celebrated her birthday on the Saturday of the Chinese GP weekend. After parking his car in Parc Ferme, the Briton was quoted on X (formerly Twitter) as dedicating his second-placed finish to his mother. “Happy birthday for yesterday mum. This one is for you.”, he said.
Norris’ mother was not present at the Shanghai International Circuit. However, his father, Adam Norris was in attendance inside the Woking-based team’s garage as the 51-year-old witnessed his son clinch the 15th podium of his F1 career.
The Briton’s race on Sunday was by no stretch of the imagination, a walk in the park. Rather, it was a hard-fought Grand Prix where the #4 driver put in a solid performance. McLaren, too, were on point with their strategy to ensure they took advantage of two Safety Car periods caused by Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda’s crash at the Turn 14 hairpin, respectively.
During the race, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen had effectively the fastest car on the track. However, even the AMR24 of Fernando Alonso was battling in front for a podium finish. But, Norris dispatched the 42-year-old in the early stages of the race. Then, he went on to put a gap between himself and the Ferraris to eventually land up on the podium with a well-deserved result.
McLaren’s VSC masterstroke helped Lando Norris to the podium at the Chinese GP
The very first Safety Car period actually started when Bottas’ Ferrari engine in the Sauber gave up on track. This caused double-waved yellow flags. Norris was intending to pit under the yellow flags but McLaren refused to entertain his request.
It naturally left the #4 driver fuming, but just as he crossed the pit entry, they deployed the Virtual Safety Car. For the remainder of the lap, this would’ve been a crushing blow for the Briton. Under a VSC a whopping 8 to 10 seconds are shaved off the total pit-stop time.
But, it was as though lady luck wanted to favor the McLaren driver. Just as he thought he had missed his golden opportunity, Race control learned that Bottas’ Sauber had actually been left in gear. Thus, it was difficult for the marshals to clear the track promptly. Naturally, the VSC continued and Norris was able to pit and save crucial seconds on the very next lap.
The VSC was followed by the full Safety Car as the Stewards deemed the track unsafe with debris around. At the restart, a multi-car incident involving Oscar Piastri, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lance Stroll amongst others happened. However, it did not affect Norris’s race, as he settled in well in P2 to survive another Safety Car period later and cruised to the finish.
