FeatureF1 Unlocked
MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: Why Norris’s maiden win wasn’t just thanks to a lucky break with the Safety Car
Special Contributor
Mark HughesLando Norris owed some of his maiden Grand Prix victory to a lucky break with the Safety Car. But it was only his sustained extraordinary pace which had put him in position to still be out there, not yet having stopped, when the Safety Car came out for a collision between Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and the Williams of Logan Sargeant.
He’d lost out at the start as a result of the chaos caused by Sergio Perez’s out-braking move into Turn 1 on Charles Leclerc, which almost saw the Mexican go into the back of team mate Max Verstappen. Stuck in sixth place behind Perez while Verstappen built up his lead, Norris’ prospects in the updated McLaren didn’t look great.
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Video HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from final practice at Imola as Piastri sets the pace while Alonso and Perez crash