McLaren driver Lando Norris produced another fantastic display in China to secure the 15 podium of his Formula 1 career.
He nailed his one-stop strategy to join both Red Bull drivers on the podium and will be delighted he comfortably finished ahead of Sergio Perez.
Speaking to Nico Rosberg before heading onto the podium, Lando Norris gave his thoughts on the race.
The trio were all seen in the debriefing before collecting their trophies and were left stunned by Lance Stroll’s clash with Daniel Ricciardo before the first safety car restart.
They also saw the contact between Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen that ended the Japanese driver’s race.
However, Norris was left most surprised by how much slower Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were than McLaren expected.
Unfortunately for Andrea Stella, only one of his cars got the better of the pair, with Oscar Piastri’s struggles continuing.
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Lando Norris surprised by Ferrari star Charles Leclerc’s lack of pace
After his poor start to the Sprint Race, Norris safely negotiated the first corners in 4 place ahead of his teammate.
He saw Fernando Alonso overtake Sergio Perez, but that move worked in his favour, with the Spaniard taking too much out of his tyres trying to defend the position.
Norris cleared Alonso quite quickly and after both Red Bull drivers entered the pits, he was leading the race.
Valtteri Bottas’s stranded Sauber brought out a virtual safety car before the real thing emerged after he and Leclerc both stopped.
It allowed the Red Bulls to change tyres again but Norris held on, matching Leclerc’s strategy and he suggested he was surprised neither Ferrari was able to close the gap to him.
So much so, that he had already predicted before the race how far behind he would be at the chequered flag.
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Lando Norris surprises himself with McLaren’s pace in China
Talking after the race, the Brit said: “Surprised, I’m very happy – today it just worked out, I wasn’t expecting it.
“Good day, good points so I’m very happy. I was surprised by many things – the lack of pace from Ferrari, our good pace, us comparing to the Red Bull… It shows the team has done a good job, and it paid off.
“I made a bet about how far behind the Ferrari we would finish today, I thought 35 seconds and I was very wrong!”
Lando Norris extends unwanted Formula 1 record
While Leclerc and Sainz’s lack of pace for Ferrari surprised Norris, there were no shocks when it came to Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has now won exactly half of the races since F1 last raced in China in 2019.
He’s only missed out on standing on the top step of the podium twice in the last calendar year, with Carlos Sainz capitalising in both of those races.
It means Lando Norris has added the 15 podium to his collection without a race win.
He’s extending the record he inherited from Nick Heidfeld and while he still has plenty of time to break that duck, he’ll want to secure that first victory sooner rather than later.
The post ‘I was very wrong’: Lando Norris admits 26-year-old’s ‘lack of pace’ left him really surprised appeared first on F1 Oversteer.