– “That’s unfair,” said Lando Norris on Sunday about his lost Formula 1 win in Madrid, and even Kimi Antonelli admitted that the world champion probably deserved the victory at the Madring premiere more than he did. But were Norris and McLaren really just unlucky with the timing of the virtual safety car?
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For expert Ralf Schumacher, this is too simplistic. In the podcast Backstage Boxengasse by Sky, he says about Norris: “In my opinion, he lost because the team made a wrong decision. It was obvious, once the car was stopped, that either a safety car or a virtual safety car would come.”
In fact, the race control only deployed the VSC after Lance Stroll’s retirement once Norris had already passed the pit entry. Thus, all drivers behind him got a “free” pit stop, while he himself had to stop later under green and thereby lost the lead.
Schumacher admits that it would have been “a certain risk” for McLaren to call Norris into the pits on suspicion. On the other hand, it was “predictable” that a virtual or even real safety car would come in the next seconds, emphasizes the expert.
Photo gallery: Madrid: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
When asked directly whether the strategy department cost Norris the win on Sunday, Schumacher answers: “From my point of view, yes. When someone has been in motorsport for so long, it’s clear that this happens. And then I step in.”
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“It’s exactly the same when it starts to rain,” draws the six-time Grand Prix winner a comparison. In this scenario, you also have “a huge problem” if you, as the leader, don’t get to the pits in time to change tires.
“These things can happen. And if a team has the courage and anticipates it, then you can also stand out as a ‘hero’,” says Schumacher, who explains that of course one can now discuss whether the current VSC regulation is fair.
“But I think, on the other hand, it is also an element of excitement. And also where a team is asked to make a decision,” says the expert. And that is exactly what McLaren did not do on Sunday.
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