Norris takes McLaren strategy flub ‘on the chin’

Lando Norris walked away from the Qatar Grand Prix frustrated but far from defeated, insisting McLaren’s costly strategy misstep was not inherently wrong - just undone by brutal race circumstances.

The Briton finished fourth after a chaotic early Safety Car flipped the script on his championship bid and handed a free pass to rival Max Verstappen.

The Lap 7 Safety Car, triggered by a clash between Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg, prompted every driver except Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri to dive into the pits for fresh tyres. The decision left the McLarens exposed, unable to recover enough time across the remaining stint windows.

But Norris refused to criticise the team’s thinking.

“We could have done many things differently but we didn’t and we thought we did what was correct, so nothing wrong,” Norris said. “It wasn’t... I still had a long race ahead of me so I had to focus and do my best,” he added.

Having the Faith In the Team making the Right Call

Once the dust settled, Norris conceded the obvious: McLaren should have boxed both cars – even if it meant a tight double stack.

“Probably yes, but both of us should have done,” he admitted. “I would have been had over either way because we would have double stacked and potentially I would have lost time. A bit of time - I probably wouldn’t have lost a position I don’t think.

“But yeah, it’s something we’ll go and talk about and review. You know, I also have to have faith that the team are making the right call and that’s what I had to do.”

Asked whether he had received any further explanation from the pitwall, Norris kept it blunt: “No, I just got out of the car.”

The decision – and the pace deficit that followed – cost Norris dearly. Instead of extending his championship buffer, his lead shrank to just 12 points heading into Abu Dhabi, with both Verstappen and Piastri still in striking distance.

Eyes Forward to Abu Dhabi

As ever, Norris tried to keep things in perspective. Even after the team’s toughest strategic outing of the year, he refused to dwell on it.

“It’s the same as every weekend. I try and beat them, they try and beat me. It’s nothing different. So I just want to go to bed,” he admitted. “Nothing I can do about it.

“It’s obviously not our greatest day, not our greatest weekend. But I’ve had... I don’t know if anyone saw the run of results I had before that. It was great. I’ve put myself in this position. I’m still happy.

“It wasn’t our finest day, it wasn’t my finest weekend in terms of driving and putting things together. But that’s life. Everyone has bad weekends. I take it on the chin, we all take it on the chin, and we’ll see what we can do next weekend.”

Norris ultimately inherited fourth place when Kimi Antonelli ran wide late in the race – a small consolation at the end of a weekend where McLaren’s title bid took an unexpected hit.

Now, with one round left, Norris’ fate is still in his hands – but the margin for error has vanished.

Read also: McLaren explains rationale behind Qatar strategy call gone wrong

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