Jolyon Palmer has shared a key difference between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris after the McLaren driver lost out key positions at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris started from pole after setting a lap time that was 0.020s faster than Verstappen, and went aggressive on the run down to the first corner to defend his position.
As they went side-by-side, Verstappen took to the grass on the right to avoid contact with Norris. This enabled Russell to use the double slipstream and get alongside both on the left, overtaking the pair of them and emerging as the leader.
Palmer, who used to race in F1 with Renault, believes Verstappen would have approached the corner differently if he was defending his lead from pole when speaking on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast.
Jolyon Palmer explains Max Verstappen’s approach
Verstappen is known for being the aggressor on the F1 grid having produced some robust overtaking moves on rivals. Palmer believes this strength would have helped determine the outcome of a first-corner overtake if the roles were reversed between the Red Bull driver and Norris.
“There is a point where, if Norris hadn’t matched Russell on the brakes, Russell maybe isn’t able to go around the outside of him and then you’re worried about Verstappen steaming in, but that’s on Max not to barrel in on the inside and wipe out two drivers on the outside if he goes the whole way across the track,” said Palmer.
“I think if Verstappen was in Norris’ shoes, he’s not being outbraked. And if they both go through the runoff, they both go through the runoff. He’s more aggressive and we’ve seen it time and time again on the opening corner.”
Lando Norris rues first corner mistake that cost him victory
The overtake from Russell proved to be a key moment in the race for Norris, as it forced him to go longer in his first stint on his new set of soft tyres.
The Miami Grand Prix race winner said the moment “ruined everything” for him as he was stuck behind Russell in the opening stages, then again after his first pit stop. The time spent behind the Mercedes driver amounted to around 4.8 seconds, while the gap to Verstappen was 2.2 seconds at the end of the race.
These fine margins are what cost McLaren and Norris a potential victory for the second race in a row after he came close to upsetting Verstappen in Canada. Norris has been praised by fellow drivers for his tyre management, which Alpine reserve Jack Doohan branded “on another level” at Montreal.
Former F1 strategist, Bernie Collins, believes there is another key area of consistency where McLaren is losing out in their battle with Red Bull.
The post ‘We’ve seen it’: Jolyon Palmer on key Max Verstappen difference to Lando Norris after costly Spanish GP start appeared first on F1 Oversteer.