Lando Norris believes "insanely bad luck" due to the timing of a virtual safety car (VSC) cost him a likely victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was leading the race before the VSC was deployed, prompting a pit stop that allowed rivals to gain an advantage.
Norris stated that he had to pit when the VSC was called, as it presented the only opportunity to minimize time loss. "The medium tyre was destroyed and the hard tyre was amazing," he explained. "But the pace was very, very strong and on the hard tyre... I know they were stuck (behind Charles Leclerc, who stayed out under the VSC), we caught up 13, 14 seconds or more."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that staying out on used medium tires would have been disadvantageous against competitors on new hard tires. "You're never going to open a gap on people on new hard," Stella said.
Stella also reflected on the decision-making process regarding the pit stop. "In hindsight, that would have been a good idea" to anticipate the VSC and pit before it was officially called. However, he stressed the significant risks involved, particularly at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which features the longest pit lane on the calendar, costing approximately 27 seconds for a pit stop if not executed under a VSC. "So if you get it wrong, it would be extremely penalising. From the lead, you pit unnecessarily, and now you have lost the victory."
Despite the disappointment, Norris found positives in his performance and the car's pace. "A day full of positives, just one thing let it all down," he commented. McLaren plans to review the incident to assess whether the VSC deployment was predictable under the race circumstances.