“We had the speed to win,” Lando Norris claims safety car ‘screw*d him over’ at Canadian GP after P2 finish

Lando Norris produced an extremely strong drive during the 70-lap Montreal event.

“We had the speed to win,” Lando Norris claims safety car ‘screw*d him over’ at Canadian GP after P2 finish

Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix was an incredibly chaotic affair. From safety cars to breathtaking overtaking maneuvers, the 70-lap race had everything and amidst all this, McLaren’s Lando Norris feels an opportunity to triumph in the event was missed.

Lando Norris finished the rain-affected Montreal race in second place behind Max Verstappen. However, had it not been for a few untimely safety cars, Norris could have won the event as at one point during the race, he had a handsome lead over the chasing pack in P1.

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The safety car on lap 26 changed the tied of Norris’s race.

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I mean we did, we had the speed to win just, but I got unlucky with the safety car, you know, I was leading by 15 seconds, and the safety car screwed me over but sometimes it's like that!
Lando Norris said in post race interview with F1

Looking at the reaction of the Brit, it is quite clear that he is absolutely gutted with how the 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix panned out for him. However, from a team’s point of view, McLaren had an exceptional outing as Norris secured second place and Oscar Piastri ended up in fifth.

Andrea Stella claims McLaren is a ‘regular podium contender’ in 2024

While Norris has sounded a bit dejected after ending up in second place in Montreal, the McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella is looking at the positives. The papaya outfit has been regularly competing at the extreme front end since the last few races.

Andrea Stella
Andrea Stella (via IMAGO)

Moreover, the outfit amassed an impressive 28 points and the Canadian Grand Prix.

This sort of little disappointment for a victory that was possible today is actually testament to the fact that the team has come a long way and we are now regular podium contenders, or, at times, even victory contenders.
Andrea Stella said in an interview with pitdebrief

After nine rounds, the woking-based team has found itself in an incredible three-way battle with Ferrari and Red Bull for the 2024 Constructors Championship. The Italian outfit is only 40 points ahead of McLaren going into the Spanish GP.

Keeping in view everything that has been discussed, the fight in the championship battle is only going to get more intense. Red Bull somehow managed to get the job done in Montreal but Norris and co. are chasing them at the rate of knots.

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