McLarenLando Norris has expressed his disappointment following the tumultuous Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend. Despite moments when victory seemed close, he ultimately lost to his championship rival. Max VerstappenHis dominant pace meant he could have overtaken Norris if he had started from the front of the grid.

McLaren’s Lando Norris demonstrated the powerful nature of the MCL38 for the Grand Prix by securing pole position. Meanwhile, Verstappen, who was eliminated in the second quarter and faced a five-place grid penalty, started the race from 17th place. Undeterred by the immense challenges, treacherous wet track conditions and near-zero visibility, the three-time world champion raced through the field, eventually taking the lead and crossing the finish line first.

The race took a decisive turn when Norris and leader George Russell stopped for new tires after running over 20 laps in the interim. This late call saw both Alpine cars move to the front, including Verstappen. Unfortunately for Norris and Russell, the timing of their pit stops coincided with the end of the safety car period, costing them the top spot. A short time later, the red flag went out following a huge crash involving Williams driver Franco Colapinto.

This positioned Verstappen just behind Esteban Ocon before passing the Alpine pilot and gaining a significant lead of just over 19 seconds at the checkered flag. Facing a major defeat in his title fight with Verstappen, Norris chose to blame no one but his luck. he said media:

“It was the right time to box…it was the right thing to do. So no regrets, just bad luck.

“It’s a stupid rule that no one accepts, but you know you’ll always agree with it when it benefits you. So every driver said they disagreed with it and wanted it to be changed.

“So it’s just unfortunate, but that’s the rule. You win some, you lose some, it benefited them today. So good for them.”

Norris acknowledged his mistakes but insisted there was little he could do given the blistering speed of the new Honda internal combustion engine-powered Red Bull RB20. The British driver admitted that Verstappen would have lapped him if he had started the race from the front row. He said:

“I did my best today, that’s all. Max won the race. Good for him, but it doesn’t change anything for me.

“Max was easily faster than us and I think if he had gone ahead he probably could have lapped us. His pace was good, I think he was similar to George, but Red Bull was very fast today.

“Of course it was an up and down weekend. I couldn’t have done more. I’m sure George probably felt like he won today’s race, that he deserved it more than anyone else.

“I probably finished third realistically so it’s tough. Max probably would have won anyway and probably beat us but yeah, it was an unlucky situation for us. Nothing more than that. I made a few mistakes that I took on and it cost me a few positions in the end but that’s all .”