Norris rues 'tough race' undermined by tyre management

©McLaren

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Lando Norris raked in more points for McLaren in Sunday's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, but the Briton rued a tough afternoon at Silverstone during which tyre management "took the edge off the racing".

Norris launched his race from P10 on the grid and remained among the first half of the field for most of the afternoon, following a two-stop strategy that eventually allowed him to finish 9th.

From the medium tyre, Norris switched to the hard compound for his following two stints. But opportunities to move up the order were few and far between as racing made way for tyre management.

70th Anniversary GP: Sunday's action in pictures

"I felt like I was saving them a lot, but the more I saved the worse it was," explained a frustrated Norris.

"It was just a very tough race from just the tyre management side of things, that was everything.

"You just can't battle with people as much as you want. If I push a little bit more my tyres are going to go off a cliff and it's game over.

"It sucks, it takes a bit of the edge away from the racing. Alex [Albon] got past me and I just had to box and do something else because I had no chance to actually battle with him.

"Yeah, not a fun race from the aspect of tyre saving. Tough day but still happy to be in the points."

©McLaren

McLaren has enjoyed a productive start to its 2020 campaign, the papaya squad leading the midfield battle in the Constructors' championship.

But Norris feels that Sunday's efforts perhaps singled out Mclaren's weaknesses relative to its rivals.

"We got ahead of the AlphaTauri, while they were quite a lot ahead of us yesterday," he said.

"The Renaults had much better pace still. Ocon was on a one stop, and I think a one stop is a very tricky one to do.

"There are some big differences in cars, in tyre management, it's a big weakness for us so it's one of the things we need to focus on, probably already for next weekend.

"We're still happy to get those two points although it didn't feel like a great race from inside the car."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.