Lando Norris insists Max Verstappen “got lucky” after the Dutchman claimed a sensational win at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris, who started on pole position, lost the lead at the start to George Russell with both British drivers dropping places after pitting just before a red flag.
Verstappen, however, surged through the field from 17th on the grid early on before benefiting from the race stoppage as he was able to change tyres without losing second position.
The Red Bull driver then overtook Esteban Ocon and won by nearly 20 seconds, while Norris finished sixth. Verstappen now has one hand on the F1 drivers’ title, as he leads by 62 points with just three races left.
Norris told Sky F1: “They [Red Bull] got lucky. A rule [changing tyres during red flag] no one agrees with, they agree with it today, but every driver disagreed with it in the past.
“Today it benefited them, it could’ve benefited us if we stayed out - but that’s a stupid thing to think. A bit unlucky today, nothing more. Disappointed with the result, could have been better but we’ll keep pushing.
“He [Max] drove well, he got a bit lucky!”
When asked about the red flag scenario, Norris later added to F1 TV: “It’s unfortunate, sometimes it just goes your way. Nothing we did wrong. Staying out was not the right thing to do, it shouldn’t have been red-flagged, it was the crash in the end which caused the red [flag].
“That’s life sometimes, You take a gamble, it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck. Just a bit unlucky this week.”
Norris was also under investigation post-race for potentially breaching the start procedure after Lance Stroll crashed on the formation lap, but was given a reprimand and a fine from the stewards.
“A wet start is a bit of a gamble,” he said. “It will go your way one day, the other day not. The left side was a bit better than the right side. That didn’t change much. All of our position losses were under the red flag with the free pit stop for the others. It’s unfortunate, nothing more.
“George probably felt he deserved to win the race today more than anyone else. But sometimes it’s just unlucky and the rules go against you. A difficult day, I made a couple of mistakes. Cost us me against George and Charles. Nothing more, it was a tough day, I did my best.
“I’ve had a lot of good races, it was about time something didn’t go right.”
