SAO PAULO — Lando Norris said luck played an important role in the outcome of the Brazilian Grand Prix after his title rival Max Verstappen took a remarkable victory from 17th on the grid in wet conditions.
The result in Interlagos delivered a critical blow to Norris’ title chances, with Verstappen now 62 points ahead of the McLaren driver and in a position to clinch the title at the next round in Las Vegas if he leaves the street race with a 60-point lead.
“He drove well, he got a bit lucky,” Norris said of Verstappen.
Norris started from pole position in Brazil, but his race unraveled after a pit stop on Lap 28 that dropped him behind Verstappen just before a red flag suspended the race on Lap 32.
By staying out on track on worn tyres as the rain intensified, Verstappen moved from fifth place to second and then benefitted from the freedom to make a tyre change under the red flag and restart the race on fresh rubber.
Norris told reporters: “It shouldn’t have been red flagged, that was the crash in the end which caused the red so that’s life sometimes. You take a gamble and it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck.”
Verstappen passed Esteban Ocon for the lead on Lap 43 and went on to win by over 19 seconds. Norris dropped to sixth place by the finish, all but ending his hopes of challenging for this year’s title.
Norris added: “I don’t care about the hindsight side of things, that’s luck for them [Red Bull], nothing more.
“They got lucky on a rule [the freedom to change tyres under a red flag] that no one agrees with. Probably them they agreed with it but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.
“Today it benefitted then, it could have benefitted us if we just stayed out, but that’s a stupid thing to think of. Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing.”
But Norris conceded that Verstappen, who started from 17th on the grid, was the faster driver in Brazil.
“We weren’t quick enough. Max was easily quicker than us,” he said. “I think if he went from the front, he probably would have lapped us. Pace is good, but the Red Bull was way faster.”
Source: espn.com