Lando Norris has described how he was praying for a late safety car intervention to allow McLaren's strategy gamble to succeed in the United States Grand Prix 2026. Starting from eighth on the grid, the Woking-based outfit elected to run their driver on a high-risk one-stop strategy while the favored plan for cars around him was a two-stop approach as he cycled up to second place in the closing stages.
On heavily worn tires, the British driver was being reeled in at massive chunks by two-stopping rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who ultimately got past in a breathtaking double-move at Turn 1. This crucial sequence dropped the outgoing world champion off the podium positions in the closing laps of the race.
"We tried, and we were not there on pace or anything, so we had to give it a shot," Norris told media outlets regarding his bold one-stop attempt. "If there was any VSC or a safety car, we were right in contention for a good podium, even P2 for a lot of it, so we were hoping, I was praying, but it never came."
The situation worsened further when another two-stopper, Lewis Hamilton, managed to find a way past, relegating him down to fifth place at the checkered flag. Norris spent the final laps longing for a virtual or full safety car period that would afford him a cheap pit stop and fresh tires—an intervention that only materialized far too late when Valtteri Bottas's car broke down with five laps remaining.
"But I feel like it was a good race, the pace was strong, and I feel like I got everything out of it, so I have to be happy, even though a P5 doesn't sound amazing," he concluded, reflecting on a race where clean air initially saved his stint before tire degradation ultimately proved insurmountable.
Baca Juga
Simak analisis lengkap kegagalan podium Isack Hadjar di GP AS 2026 akibat start buruk. Baca ulasan mendalam jalannya balapan selengkapnya di sini.
Simak analisis lengkap Toto Wolff soal penampilan dominan Kimi Antonelli di F1 GP AS 2026. Baca ulasan mendalam, peluang juara, dan berita terbaru di sini!
Simak analisis lengkap driver ratings F1 GP Amerika Serikat 2026 di sini. Dari performa sempurna Kimi Antonelli hingga rapor merah George Russell.
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