F1 – In China, McLaren and Lando Norris defied predictions

When discussing Saturday, the McLaren clan was not hopeful for this Sunday’s Grand Prix. It must be said that MCL38, rather efficient on the fast circuit and 4^e and 5^e The places of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in qualifying, suffered for a while. A lack of rhythm that made the weekend team fear the worst with regards to the actual race.

« 4th and 5th places are a good starting point for tomorrow’s race (Sunday)in the hope of gaining valuable pointsexplained team leader Andrea Stella on Saturday evening. At the same time, we saw during the Sprint that the challenge becomes more difficult to meet in the relay race. We need to improve this, and we have already made some adjustments between Sprint and qualifying. We’ll see if it works.. »

Norris saw himself quickly leaving Shanghai

So the Oranges expected to suffer and of course fight for points in the bottom of the Top 10. It is clear the question of their survival this Sunday. But to everyone’s surprise, there was no suffering in the Woking ranks. On the contrary.

Surprisingly in good shape during the first part of the race, Lando Norris even allowed his team to change its strategy. While the entire grid opted for two stops, the Englishman received the green light from his wall to make just one, as the speed of his MCL38 was impressive. Everything came together so well that the kid from Bristol even managed to dive into the pit lane under the safety car, reducing the loss of time.

In the end, McLaren, who expected a hellish Sunday, traveled on cloud nine and even managed to hold off Red Bull, denying the Austrians the fourth double this year.

« I’m surprised, I’m very happy, happy for the team too, they deserved it and a good pit stop, he believed in himself with a smile that he had trouble hiding after his 2nd place. Everything worked today (Sunday), I don’t know how. I did not expect to experience this kind of racing. But in the end I felt comfortable, with good tire management being an easier task compared to yesterday (Saturday, during the Sprint Race). I just had to push and I felt really good in the car. Good day, good points, and another forum so I’m happy.

I was surprised by several things, the limited speed of Ferrari, our good speed, but also ours compared to that of the Red Bulls. This is exactly what was amazing. I didn’t expect that. I had prepared everything to go home early and not be on stage (laughs). It’s a nice surprise but it shows that the team is doing a good job. We work hard and it pays off. »

On stage at 15^e in his career, Lando Norris later admitted to placing an inside bet on how he would finish behind the Ferraris. ” I bet on 35 seconds but I was very wronghe’s joking. Happy to be wrong with myself and lose my bet. »

In the end, McLaren left Shanghai with their best result of the year despite never having been as optimistic since the start of the season as this weekend. A good sign for the future? It is up to The Oranges to confirm the deal within two weeks on the part of Miami.

Little by little, Lando Norris separated from Ferrari. © Paulo Maria / DPPI

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