01/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Mixed fortunes for McLaren pair as Lando Norris will use the summer break for a "reset" as another poor start compromises his Belgian Grand Prix.
Seven days after losing the Hungarian Grand Prix due to a poor start, Lando Norris claims another duff getaway compromised his race in Belgium.
Starting fourth on the grid, the McLaren driver went wide as he exited La Source and dropped two positions, losing out to George Russell and Carlos Sainz.
Running ahead of title rival Max Verstappen, Norris lost out again when the Dutchman went for the undercut and essentially spent the remainder of the afternoon staring down the exhaust pipes of the world champion.
"Yeah, I just misjudged it, honestly," he said of the start. "I just didn't want to get taken out in Turn 1, so I left the gap and just misjudged the exit a little bit.
"Just impossible to overtake," he said of his fruitless pursuit of Verstappen. "The overtaking sucked today. I think there was very few overtakes actually done on track. Most of it was just in the pit stops. There were some overtakes, but only when you had a 10-lap tyre advantage.
"Otherwise, yeah, a bit of a tough race with the overtaking. I felt like we were quick, the car was quick. I just don't feel like we maximised what we could have done."
Known for his self-criticism, Norris says he will spend the upcoming break looking to learn from his mistakes.
"We all need it, but I think I just need it to reset," he said. "I've given away a lot of points over the last three or four races, just because of stupid stuff. Mistakes and bad starts. Turn 1 now.
"I don't know why, it's just silly things, it's not even difficult stuff," he added. "It's just Turn 1, trying to stay out of trouble, trying to make sure there's a gap and not get hit. And then I put myself off the track. Just some stupid things.
"The pace was good, the team were doing an amazing job, so I'm happy," he continued. "In a way, I feel like I just don't want to take a break, I just want to continue because we're in good form. Today I felt like the pace was very strong, but the last 2 or 3 races, I've just not clicked as much as I needed to. I've given up a lot of points, so hopefully I can come back stronger."
Asked how he will go about the reset, he said: "Just forget about it. I still have another week of debriefs. I'm in the factory for half of next week. Just review everything and look over everything, make sure we take a break on a good note. Which I think we have, honestly.
"There's a lot of positives, just things haven't clicked for us," he added. "But I feel like we've still got what we need and what we want. So I'm happy. We've got what it takes to fight and to put up a good battle. I've just not been on it from my side. So, review my things, go away and forget about it for a bit of time, and then come back stronger."
Teammate Oscar Piastri must surely be heading into the break feeling even happier, having finished third but subsequently inheriting second following Russell's disqualification.
No major mistakes from the Australian, only a lack of pace.
"I'm happy with the result," he said. "I think we managed the race very well.
"That's the second or third time this year we've tried to run over the front jack, so I'll try not to do that next time," he joked of that one slip-up when he slightly overshot his slot. "But very happy with the result and I don't think we could have done too much more."
Asked what he thought prevented him taking the fight to the Mercedes pair, he said: "I think just not quite enough speed. It took me a couple of laps to get past Charles and I really overheated the tyres doing that.
"It's been a really good couple of weeks for myself and the whole team of course , a lot of points," he added. "We still made inroads on Red Bull today and that's a really positive thing going into the break.
"I think everyone's looking forward to a bit of a break, I know I am so I can heal up a little bit, but it's been a fun couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to some time relaxing and coming back stronger in the second half."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Spa here.