Norris fright over 'worst nightmare' brake issue in China

Lando Norris faced a “nightmare” scenario in the closing stages of the Chinese Grand Prix with a brake issue rapidly developing as he tried to bring his McLaren home.

With a handful of laps remaining, Norris – running in second behind his team mate and eventual winner Oscar Piastri – reported via team radio that the brake pedal on his McLaren had gone long.

The team acknowledged this and could see the problem on the data, advising the 25-year-old to manage the issue by avoiding any hard braking. Alongside this was a message that finishing second and bagging the maximum amount of points for the team was better than not finishing at all.

With two laps remaining, a further broadcast warned that the issue was now critical, leading Norris to lift and coast significantly into each corner to avoid putting any unnecessary stress through the brakes.

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 23: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes — Russell closed massively on Norris in the closing stages

Lapping four seconds slower than third-placed George Russell, Norris crept over the line just 1.3s clear of the Mercedes driver, but with the McLaren 1-2 result intact.

“It was scary,” said Norris when asked about the problem after hopping out of the car. “It’s like my worst nightmare when the brakes are failing.

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“I was losing two, three, four seconds the last couple of laps, so I was a bit scared. I survived and made it to the end.

“I would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure but not today. We’re satisfied, great result. We’ll go again next time.”

Although McLaren appeared to have a pace advantage over the field in the Grand Prix, an undercut from Russell in the pit stops saw the Mercedes man and Norris briefly swap positions, with last weekend's Grand Prix winner forced to find a way back through using DRS into Turn 1.

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“They were a few fun moments,” Norris added. “The start… I was kind of hoping for exactly that so Turn 1 went to plan. Then George got me on the pit stops.

“I was a little bit nervous but our pace was a lot better on the second stint. Tough race just with the management.

“I don’t think many people expected a one-stop today so it was good. Oscar drove well, he was quick the whole race. I tried to get close but in the end just couldn’t.”

Asked if he could have challenged Piastri for victory without his brake problems, he said: “It doesn't matter. He deserved the win and drove very well all weekend. I’m happy with second.

“It’s good points for us as a team with a 1-2 so a big thanks to everyone in papaya. Just how we wanted the race to go so we’re very happy.”