The Qatar Grand Prix it had to be the occasion, for the McLaren, to recover world championship points on Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, with the declared aim of being able to get closer or regain third place. Instead, on the Losail circuit, the English team faced a real disappointment, with Daniel Ricciardo out of the top ten and with Lando Norris in ninth place at the checkered flag. The Brit also had to deal with a puncture which occurred seven laps from the conclusion of the Qatar GP, which forced him to retreat behind the two reds of Sainz and Leclerc.
Interviewed at the end of the race, the English driver himself remarked on his disappointment at what happened in the final stages of the race: “It was a decent performance, we could have done better – he analyzed Norris – we have not interpreted the situation to the maximum, almost as if I could not push for some reason. The puncture, then, ruined everything. I would have been able to finish fourth or fifth, but none of us are to blame. There is no team responsibility and I am proud of what we have done. It just disgusts me that such a thing could happen“.
From Norris’ anger to the disappointment of Ricciardo, who reached the finish line 12th after a performance characterized by various difficulties: “We were saving so much that the tires and brakes even cooled down – commented the Australian – I was sometimes 2 seconds slower than the lap before, almost as if I never wanted to get to the end. At the start I lifted my foot at turn 1 to do nothing risky, as I found myself in the middle of the big group. Among other things, during the first lap, a signal appeared on the steering wheel that warned me to save fuel. I’m happy that this race is over, because it was a pain. Something has gone and we need to review what happened. I felt like a passenger for 75% of the GP“.
#Norris #anger #sucks #finished #FormulaPassionit