F1 News: Red Bull Insider Pokes Holes in McLaren Moment That 'Probably Irritated' Lando Norris

Despite a strong race, Lando Norris’s performance at the Emilia Romagna GP might have been hampered by a distracting team radio message.

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (4) celebrates with his team / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

At the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a critical radio communication may have disrupted Lando Norris's focus during a key phase of the race. Red Bull's Helmut Marko suggested that this distraction could have cost Norris the race win, despite his overall strong performance.

Max Verstappen led the race from pole, showcasing the potency of Red Bull's RB20 and his own flawless driving. McLaren's Norris, who had shown potential to substantially challenge Verstappen, was pushing as hard as he could on his failing tires, but a radio message from his engineer, Williams Joseph, might have put him off according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

"Interestingly, that probably irritated him. That's quite negative for concentration in a situation like this," Marko remarked about the radio exchanges the Briton and his engineer had mid-race.

The challenge for Norris wasn’t just about maintaining pace but also managing tire wear, which became a significant theme as the race wore on. Marko praised Verstappen’s ability to manage his medium compound tires effectively, a contrast to McLaren's struggle on the hard compound after temperatures dropped.

"The decisive factor was that we did well on the medium tyre and were slower than McLaren on the hard tyre. After two or three laps, the temperature dropped and the tyres got out of the right working window," explained Marko.