Norris ‘won’t complain’ about Safety Car as he takes positives from ‘amazing pace’ en route to P2 in Canada

Lando Norris focused on his “pretty perfect” performance in the Canadian Grand Prix as he refused to express any frustration at the Safety Car helping Red Bull rival Max Verstappen take victory.

Norris ran third in the wet early stages of the race but lit up the timesheets as conditions improved to overhaul both pole-sitting Mercedes driver George Russell and reigning world champion Verstappen for the lead.

READ MORE: Verstappen beats Norris to victory in thrilling wet/dry Canadian GP

However, a Safety Car triggered when Logan Sargeant crashed out came at the wrong time for Norris, with Verstappen and Russell both managing to pit earlier and filter back out ahead of the McLaren man.

With Norris himself benefitting from a mid-race Safety Car to win in Miami earlier this season, Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, sarcastically radioed the Dutchman: “What goes around, comes around.”

Norris ultimately came home second, via some wheel-to-wheel battling with Russell, and commented afterwards: “It was chaos. It was eventful. To be honest, I felt like I drove a good race the whole time from start to finish.

“The first two stints were very strong, I had amazing pace. Then the Safety Car had me over… Just like it helped me in Miami, it’s now had me back over.

“Honestly, I thought it was a pretty perfect race from my side, just a bit unlucky, but that’s what it is. It was good fun, these conditions are so stressful inside the car, but very enjoyable at the same time.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from a dramatic Canadian GP as Verstappen takes victory

“The first stint I was in lead by, what, 10, 12 seconds, pulling away probably two to three seconds a lap. Things were going beautifully and of course it’s Montreal, so there’s always something that’s got to come into play.

“But it was good, fair play to Max, he drove a good race, no mistakes. It’s good fun, I’m happy with second, good points for team so a good weekend for us.”

Asked if he felt like it was a race that got away, Norris added: “That’s what it is. It helped me out in Miami, so I’m not going to be the one to complain. It happens, that’s racing sometimes.

“I drove a good race, the car’s been great all weekend, so thanks to team. We’re close, it’s nice to be so close once again and on the podium, so we’ll keep fighting.”

Norris’ team mate, Oscar Piastri, added to McLaren’s strong points haul in fifth position, after some late-race squabbling with Russell and Lewis Hamilton – who had both pitted for fresh slick tyres under the final Safety Car.

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“I think just maybe a few things in the race where if we did things a little bit better, myself and the team, we could have had a bit of a better result, or maybe a better chance of a better result,” he reflected.

“I think at the end we were a little bit vulnerable to the Mercedes on new tyres. Obviously being the first car that they were going to attack, it meant I had my work cut out for me. A lap or two more, I think they would have got Lando as well – it looked very close.

“I think on a weekend where it could have gone so wrong, both in qualifying and the race, I think to come away with such a decent haul of points, the top-scoring team for the weekend, is a solid result.”