After losing the Spanish Grand Prix: former Formula 1 driver criticises McLaren

For Lando Norris, the race in Madrid ended in disappointment: the Formula 1 champion had secured pole position the day before with a strong lap and had done everything right during the race, yet he still had to settle for third place behind winner Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen. The reason was obvious: Norris was unlucky with the timing of the virtual safety car period.

By the time the field was slowed down, he had built up a comfortable lead at the front. And just as race control signalled the start of the virtual safety car phase, he had just passed the pit lane entrance. Whilst the Briton’s direct rivals were able to capitalise on the opportunity to minimise the time lost during the obligatory tyre change, Norris had to complete a whole lap at a snail’s pace before turning into the pits. By then, however, the race had resumed, meaning the tyre change cost the defending champion a significant amount of time.

No hasty decision

The fact that McLaren decided to head for the pits despite the missed opportunity drew criticism after the race. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, for example, writes in his analysis of the race on ‘Formula1.com’: ‘I really don’t understand what the logic behind it was. I couldn’t believe Norris pulled into the pits when the race had been waved green again.’

“He gave up his position on the track and accepted the 25-second time penalty, which made absolutely no sense. There was a lot of radio traffic between Lando and his race engineer Will Joseph, and the team confirmed that they intended to make the stop even under green flag conditions. So this wasn’t a pit stop that happened due to a lack of communication because time was running out; rather, it was planned that way,” the 35-year-old Briton continued.

Race not properly assessed

“To me, it looked as though the race strategists had followed a cookie-cutter strategy rather than properly assessing the race as it unfolded before their eyes,” criticises Palmer, who knows: “A pit stop at the first opportunity, even under green flag conditions, may have been the best option on paper to achieve the optimum race time, but in doing so, a number of crucial aspects were completely overlooked.”

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It was clear, he says, that the Madring offers hardly any overtaking opportunities if there is no significant difference in pace between the car in front and the one chasing. And by doing so, they deprived themselves of any further chance to benefit from a possible further safety car period or a red flag. Norris could also have stayed on the track and tried to build up the necessary lead so that, after a later pit stop with the usual time loss, he would still be in the lead. Palmer admits it is not clear whether that would have worked. Nevertheless, he is convinced: “It would have been worth a try.”