F1 News: Lando Norris 'Frustrated' with McLaren After 'Wrong Call' Cost Him Canada Win

The McLaren driver isn't happy with his team's strategy in Canada.

Jun 9, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; McLaren driver Lando Norris (GBR) reacts after getting second place in the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Lando Norris, the promising young driver from McLaren, missed what could have been a clear victory due to a pivotal strategic mishap. After inheriting the lead, Norris and his team faced a crucial decision under the safety car—a decision that, by his own admission, eventually relegated him to a second-place finish behind the indomitable Max Verstappen.

The race's pivotal moment came unexpectedly when the safety car was deployed while the British driver was leading. Unlike his rivals who chose to pit immediately, Norris stayed on track only to pit later and rejoin the race in third position. Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Norris didn't mince words about the impact of the team's strategy.

"We should have won the race today and we didn't. It's frustrating. We had the pace. Probably not in the dry at the end, but we should have won today, it's as simple as that. We didn't do a good enough job as a team to box when we should have done and not get stuck behind the safety cars, so I don't think it was lucky or unlucky," he stated in the press conference after tha race.

This incident starkly contrasted with his fortune at the Miami Grand Prix, where a timely safety car had played to his advantage. Norris made it clear that the setback in Canada was a result of poor decision-making rather than misfortune.

"I don't think it was the same as Miami. This was just making a wrong call so it's on me and it's on the team, and it's something we'll discuss after, but we should have won today," Norris explained.

While his rivals at Red Bull Racing might view the outcome as a balance to the earlier luck Norris experienced in Miami, the young Briton's focus was solely on the implications of the missed strategic call. The ongoing improvements in McLaren’s performance have raised the stakes for the team, which is no longer content just to compete but now expects to win. Norris emphasized this shift in perspective, expressing his dissatisfaction with anything less than victory.

"I think we're at a level now where we're not satisfied with a second, the target is to win and we didn't do that, so frustrating, but a tough race, and still [okay] to end up in second when we could've finished lower," he noted.

Throughout 2024, Norris has been a consistent force on the podium, recording five top 3 finishes and visibly narrowing the gap to the leading team, Red Bull. This high-level performance underscores not only his driving talent, but the strides the Silverstone squad is making in developing their car.