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LANDO Norris could not hide his disappointment after a challenging Belgian Grand Prix that saw the McLaren driver finish two places lower than he started, having dropped from P4 to P6 – which became fifth due to winner George Russell getting disqualified.
Norris was compromised on the opening lap of the race when he ran wide exiting the La Source hairpin and dipped a couple of wheels in the gravel, dropping him to seventh position.
“I just tried to avoid any contact with the people on the inside and I misjudged the kerb. Then I bottomed out on the kerb and I went off, so I felt a bit stupid honestly, almost embarrassing,” Norris said, according to a report in the official Formula One website.
“But the pace was very good, the car performed well. I felt pretty good out there, was in good shape, it’s just overtaking was impossible.”
On getting stuck behind Verstappen, he said: “I couldn’t even get close, I was close… Just you lose like one second in the middle sector following and you can’t do anything after that.
“A bit frustrating that I couldn’t make more progress, as I felt the pace was good in the car, but just not the pace to go forward.”
Asked if the pace Mercedes displayed had surprised him, with Russell provisionally winning on a one-stop strategy and Lewis Hamilton backing his team mate up on a two-stop, Norris added: “No, not really. They had track position and track position was king today, so no.
“I feel like everyone doubts them, doubts what Mercedes can do, (but) they’ve been almost just as quick as us for the last month, just everyone underestimates what they can do.
“On a day like today, they just do what they are very capable of doing which is a good job, so fair play to them.”
Heading into F1’s summer break, Norris sits 78 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, while McLaren are 42 points down on Red Bull in the constructors’.
