Lando Norris quashed the notion that his seventh place finish in the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was an “opportunity missed” to restart his title challenge.
The Brit was handed a seismic open goal to take a hefty chunk out of team-mate Oscar Piastri’s lead at the top of the standings after the Australian crashed out on Lap 1.
Piastri’s uncommon display of clumsiness could not be capitalised on by Norris, who laboured to seventh place after yet another problematic McLaren pitstop.
The error dropped him from fourth to seventh, and after being unable to overtake the duelling Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in front of him, the chance to score big points was gone.
Piastri had reason to feel mightily relieved to leave Baku with a lead that was only narrowed down to 25 points.
Norris didn’t shy away from the criticism and voices claiming he should’ve taken a victory in Baku. Instead, he admitted he sees every race not won as a “missed” opportunity.
“I did the best I could yesterday, and I did the best I could today,” he defiantly told Sky Sports F1.
“The opportunities are there every weekend. Every race I didn’t win was an opportunity missed.”
Norris admits he ‘wanted more’ from Azerbaijan GP
In a title fight that will no doubt come down to the finest margins, a weekend where Norris could’ve made significant gains on his rival had left him wanting more.
“Of course, today, I wanted more,” he said.
“Seventh was not a good result, but I couldn’t do anything more today.
“It was lost yesterday because of going out a bit early [after Piastri’s crash in qualifying], and not doing the best lap.”
However, Norris doesn’t believe much would change, with the tight winding streets of Baku making overtaking difficult.
“Maybe I could have gained a couple of positions [on the grid], but I don’t think it would have changed anything today. It’s just impossible to overtake.
“I look back on yesterday more than anything today. I thought the pace was all right today when it needed to be; I did a long stint on the medium.”
“Could things have been a little better? Yes. Do I think anything would have changed? probably not.”
For the Brit, what’s more important than punishing himself for bad results is working to be better each race. Norris made it clear he does everything he can each weekend.
“It’s hard to be perfect in the world of Formula 1. I’m trying to work on things, and could I have done some things better? Yeah.
“It’s not without trying, or doing everything I can. I’ll just continue doing what I’m doing, but I’m always trying to do better.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri admits first lap F1 Azerbaijan GP shunt ‘not my finest moment’
Discussion about this post