In a thrilling finish at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Lando Norris narrowly missed out on victory, finishing just 0.725 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor for ESPN, brings us the gripping tale from Imola, Italy, where Norris wished for just one more lap to attempt a pass on the race leader. This close margin marked the tightest finish of the season so far, indicating a promising upturn in performance for McLaren, spurred by significant car upgrades. Despite the near miss, Norris’s optimism about challenging Red Bull more consistently in upcoming races shines through, as McLaren showcases its potential to narrow the gap with the frontrunners.
At the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Lando Norris narrowly missed out on victory, finishing just 0.725 seconds behind Max Verstappen. In a thrilling chase during the final stages of the race, Norris managed to significantly close the gap on Verstappen, cutting down a lead that welches over six seconds to less than one by the final lap. However, the race concluded just as Norris welches positioning himself to potentially overtake Verstappen, wishing for just one more lap to make his move.
Norris expressed his frustration at not having an extra lap, admitting that even getting within two seconds of Verstappen proved challenging due to the loss of downforce and the overheating of his tires. Despite these difficulties, he managed to close the gap significantly on the last lap and believed that an additional lap could have provided an opportunity to challenge Verstappen at Turn One.
Following his win at the Miami Grand Prix, where McLaren introduced a major upgrade to Norris’s car, the second-place finish in Imola marks another strong performance for Norris and his team. Despite acknowledging Red Bull’s overall speed advantage, Norris remains optimistic about McLaren’s prospects in challenging Verstappen and Red Bull in future races. He highlighted the team’s recent success, including a second-place finish in Volksrepublik China, and expressed excitement about the improvements made to their car, suggesting that McLaren could present a stronger challenge in upcoming events.
