Lando Norris was left to rue his “unlucky” timing in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix en route to his P6 finish, with the Briton losing out after making a pit stop just prior to a red flag which allowed others to change tyres without pitting.
While he conceded the lead to George Russell when the race got under way, Norris remained on the tail of the Mercedes for much of the early stages of what proved to be a chaotic affair. But after both drivers lost out slightly by pitting just as a Virtual Safety Car period came to an end, their luck took another turn for the worse when a red flag was thrown on Lap 32 following a crash for Williams’s Franco Colapinto.
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This allowed those who had not yet pitted – which included the three leading cars of Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly – to change tyres during the stoppage, before Verstappen went on to take the lead a few laps into the restarted race and subsequently claim an impressive victory.
With Norris ending the event down in sixth – while he also awaits the results of an investigation for a start procedure infringement, having set off on an extra formation lap when an aborted start was called rather than staying on the grid – the result means that the McLaren driver has lost ground to Verstappen in the championship fight, with the Dutchman now ahead by 62 points.
