McLaren to look into why Lando Norris was not overruled on rain call

Russian Grand Prix

McLaren to look into why Norris was not overruled on rain call

Briton missed out on maiden win by failing to pit for intermediates

Sam Hall

Sunday 26 September 2021 20:38

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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has confirmed the team is "to look into" why Lando Norris was not overruled on a crucial rain call that cost the Briton a maiden F1 victory.

Norris appeared on course for the win at the Sochi Autodrom, comfortably holding off Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton behind until rain started to fall in the closing stages of the Russian Grand Prix.

Initially, both Norris and Hamilton opted to stay out as the rain grew in intensity, even though the latter had been told to box.

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On the following lap, Hamilton obeyed his team's instructions, while Norris continued again which proved costly as he slipped off the track at one point as the seven-time F1 champion passed to claim his historic 100th F1 victory.

After finally pitting, Norris eventually took the chequered flag seventh, leaving him heartbroken.

“As always in these tricky situations, it is a communication between the driver and the pit wall using all of the information we have available in terms of the weather forecast, what other cars are doing and trying to brief Lando at the same time and get feedback from Lando on how the track conditions are," said Seidl.

“That is how a decision was made whether to pit or not.

“Lando, with the information from us and what he was feeling on the track, he felt good staying out there on the slicks and in the end, we didn’t overrule him as a team.

"That is something we need to look into, to see what we could have done better. Of course, in hindsight, it was the wrong decision that we made as a team.

“But we win together, we lose together. The important thing is to learn from it, to analyse it and then move on."

Seidl agrees with Mercedes boss Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented after the race that McLaren could "only lose" with Norris leading in treacherous conditions, an opinion shared by Seidl.

“Following his radio, Lewis wanted to stay out and for him, obviously, he always had the chance to do the opposite of what we are doing," added Seidl.

“That is simply the race situation you are in if you are leading. So I wouldn’t say that this was the issue.

“At the same time, I think we have seen a lot of positives this weekend. Lando has done a sensational job.

"All weekend he did a sensational race and for sure, it didn’t end up in the result he would have deserved at the end of such a weekend.

“But up to the last few laps, it was actually a pretty good weekend for us.”