Lando Norris, a British driver for McLaren, overtook Valtteri Bottas of Sauber during the Chinese Grand Prix in Formula 1. Norris later admitted to using strong language in the cockpit when the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was called after he had passed the pit entrance. At that point in the race, Norris was running in third place, but was promoted to second as Sergio Perez made a pit stop. McLaren had informed Norris that he would be running a longer first stint to counter Ferrari’s strategic move with Charles Leclerc. However, the VSC was activated to clear Bottas’ car from Turn 11, which occurred after Norris had passed the pit entrance. Norris expressed frustration and used expletives when McLaren was denied the opportunity to pit during the VSC. Eventually, the VSC was upgraded to a full Safety Car, saving Norris from further annoyance. He acknowledged that he had anticipated the VSC but was still frustrated when it didn’t come out earlier. Norris believed that McLaren’s strategy worked out well overall, as the extended first stint allowed him to feel confident and go a long distance. The timing of the VSC benefited McLaren’s position, as it forced the Red Bulls to make an additional pit stop, putting the Ferrari between Norris and Perez. This circumstance ultimately worked in Norris’ favor.
Norris opted to change to the Hard compound tire in order to complete the entire race. On the restart, Leclerc and Perez were positioned behind him in their respective Ferrari and Red Bull cars.
Contrary to the initial prediction that Ferrari would outperform McLaren, Leclerc fell behind Norris and allowed him to establish a significant lead.
Although Perez managed to surpass Leclerc in the final stages, he admits that his tire degradation prevented him from closing the gap on Norris.
When asked if he anticipated a tougher competition, Norris responded, “It’s difficult to say. This track is favorable when you’re in control and able to manage things.
Yesterday’s race was a completely different scenario for us. I was trailing the entire pack, causing my tires to overheat and struggle. There wasn’t much I could do.
Today, I had control over my own race. I quickly pulled away from Charles, who was holding up Checo.
Checo likely had to exert a lot of effort to pass him, using up his tires in the process. It all depends on your perspective.
I may have expected a more intense battle, but knowing how much Checo pushed at the start to overtake the Ferrari allowed me to feel more at ease, which was quite enjoyable.”