Norris Reflects on Missed Opportunities in Canadian Grand Prix Despite Strong Performance

Lando Norris, British driver of the McLaren MCL38, expressed regret for not pushing harder at the beginning of the second part of the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1, in order to improve his chances of overtaking Max Verstappen during pit stops. After a cautious start, Norris showed impressive speed on intermediate tires, managing to overtake both Verstappen and George Russell in consecutive laps. He even built a significant lead of eight seconds before McLaren made a late pit stop under the Safety Car, causing Norris to drop to third place. However, Norris almost regained his lost positions when McLaren delayed his switch to slick tires, allowing him to open up enough of a gap and emerge in first place. Unfortunately, Norris struggled on the wet pit lane exit, allowing Verstappen to easily overtake him. McLaren team boss Christian Horner suggested that an earlier pit stop could have resulted in a victory for the team, but Norris disagreed, explaining that it takes time for slick tires to heat up and that Verstappen would have overtaken him anyway. Norris admitted, however, that if he had stayed closer to Verstappen at the beginning of the race, he could have built the necessary margin to heat up his tires and maintain the lead. Despite finishing in second place and securing his sixth podium of the season, Norris stated that McLaren can no longer settle for second place and that his goal now is to win races. He expressed frustration for not achieving this goal in the Canadian Grand Prix, but acknowledged that finishing in second place is still a positive result considering the challenging race conditions.