Norris tipped McLaren “35 seconds behind Ferrari”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – What Red Bull can do, McLaren can also do, maybe Lando Norris thought on Sunday: However, this does not mean a race victory on the stage of the Chinese Grand Prix, although Norris does. to his own surprise it was successful. No, it was about the F1 star’s new favorite hobby: gambling.

As a reminder: Just recently at Suzuka, Sergio Perez and Christian Horner made Bernie Ecclestone happy. Now Norris admits after second place in Shanghai: “I gambled.”

The subject of this? The Brit laughs: “How much will we finish behind Ferrari today. I thought 35 seconds. And I was completely wrong,” admits Norris: “So yes, happily prove me wrong with my bets, but one day Good day to everyone ( at McLaren ).

The “big surprise” of the day, as Norris calls them, is not only McLaren’s speed, also in relation to Red Bull, but also “Ferrari’s lack of speed,” says Brit. “I didn’t expect any of this. Even to be in a race like today: it worked for us, but I don’t know how.”

Norris: “I was able to manage the tires well, which was easier than yesterday. And I was able to attack. The car felt good and I felt good, so a good day, good points and another podium. I’m happy”.

Key words: With his second podium finish of the season, after third place in Australia, Norris also extends his record for most podiums without a win in Formula 1 races to 15. “I really didn’t expect that today. I was already I have everything ready to go home early – and not to go to the stage.”

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Big celebration at McLaren about Norris’ second place in Shanghai Grow

Stella: The pace of the race offered little hope

“It’s a nice surprise and it shows that the team has done a good job. We’re working hard and it’s paying off,” said the McLaren driver, who didn’t expect such a jump, especially after Saturday’s run. “We didn’t have that hope because we were behind Red Bull all year, also behind Ferrari. So why should we suddenly think we are ahead of them?”

After the unexpected podium, team boss Andrea Stella supported his driver’s opinion: “We didn’t see the pace yesterday in the race that would have allowed us to finish ahead of Ferrari. And that’s what we expected before,” explains Stella. who had already saved a small amount before the trip to the Middle Kingdom.

“We knew we could be quick on the circuit, but looking at the race it’s amazing,” says the Italian, with whom Norris agrees: “There were no signs of such a big race.”

But then “everything came to life, but it was also cold, these two things landed in our hands,” Norris says, researching the reasons for the emergence of McLaren. Stella added: “The lack of sun allowed us to control the rear tires, so we were able to play with more car power.”

Norris jokes: “No offense this time”

And then of course there was another reason that the sorry man in the race can laugh again a day later: “You know, this time I didn’t make a mistake in one turn and go too far,” says Norris after. that Race himself in the press conference on your hand.

One turn in particular was crucial for McLaren this weekend, the Brit reveals, because: “Long corners like the first turn were always a weakness for us. The first turn parts were better than expected, the second part was more precise as expected.”

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Norris, teammate Piastri and team boss Stella with the trophy Grow

“So we’re still learning about the car, it’s very easy. This track is very different, the pitch is very strange – maybe that helped us a little bit more than we thought.”

Long-term VSC phase: Norris is lucky

What helped Norris anyway on Sunday was the safety car which was called after Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas had a fault. At first it looked like Norris might be the biggest loser of the event, as he had just passed the pit door…

“Yes, there were a few F-words and S-words at the beginning,” Norris confirms his first reaction: “It looked like there was going to be a VSC, but somehow it didn’t come out, and I said to myself: ‘I hope it comes out as soon as I round the last corner.’ And so it was.”

So Norris won this one bet on Sunday – at least and still somewhat to his own chagrin. But the Brit was unlucky because the marshals didn’t get Bottas’ car out of the danger zone in time and so the VSC continued: “Fortunately it stayed for a long time and then it became a real safety car,” he says. Norris, who like many of his colleagues This also means getting a cheap station.

“That was good, our strategy worked,” reports the McLaren driver: “I felt good in the first phase and I was able to stay out for a long time. But if the VSC had already ended before I entered the pit, it would have been “Of course I was more upset.”

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Red Bulls split: At least Perez left Norris behind Grow

But as we know, things were different: “Things went well today because the Red Bulls had to stop again. That put me ahead of ‘Checo’ and Ferrari between us, which probably saved me a little,” he believes. Norris.

But even without the help from the free pit stop under VSC, at least for the reds of Maranello it would be enough, as team boss Stella believes: “The good performance was already seen in the first stage – we were a little faster. than Ferrari.” And no, to the delight of bookmaker Norris, 35 seconds slower…