Lando Norris lost the lead and a six-second advantage to Kimi Antonelli in the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula 1, after a McLaren decision during the race in Madrid, and the strategy was harshly questioned by former category driver, Jolyon Palmer.
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Norris had built the advantage over the Mercedes driver when the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed. As the pace reduction allowed rivals to make their pit stops with less time loss, the timing of the VSC ended up putting the Briton in an unfavorable situation, as at the moment it was activated, he had just passed the pit entry.
For Palmer, however, McLaren’s decision to call Norris into the pits as soon as the race returned to the green flag was hard to understand. The former driver pointed out that the decision was not due to a lack of communication, as the team had discussed the stop with the driver before the end of the VSC.
“When the race went back to the green flag, I couldn’t believe Norris came into the pits at that moment to make a full 25-second stop and give up track position. It made absolutely no sense,” Palmer said.
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According to him, the radio conversations between Norris and his race engineer, Will Joseph, showed that the stop was already planned even if the race resumed under normal conditions. Palmer assessed that the team may have followed a numbers-based strategy, without sufficiently considering what was happening on the track. He also highlighted that the characteristics of the new Madrid circuit make overtaking difficult and stated that this stop ‘took away all remaining opportunities from the team’.
Norris, in turn, directed his frustration at the functioning of the VSC, and not at McLaren or any specific member. The Briton again defended a proposal already discussed by F1 drivers, according to which it would be necessary to wait at least one lap after the VSC is activated before allowing pit stops.
“We have already talked about this in drivers’ meetings and said we should stay on track for at least one lap after the VSC is activated. That way, it would be equal for everyone. Today (Sunday), I was the only one who lost, and I lost about twenty seconds of race time. It shouldn’t be like that,” Norris concluded.
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