Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen “ruined his own race” defending from the McLaren during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Verstappen ran deep into Turn 1 at lights out on Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome, leaving him exposed to Norris into the Turn 2/3 left/right segment of sweeping curves.
Norris tried a move on the outside but Verstappen left no space, dropping the Briton several positions, and promoting Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri to second and third.
Piastri wasted no time getting past Antonelli and dispatched Verstappen on Lap 14, having made two failed attempts on Lap 11.
Norris, after fighting his way through the pack made several failed attempts to pass Verstappen, the Dutchman’s defence far more persistent with the second McLaren.
The No.4 driver eventually made his way into second by Lap 18, at which point Piastri was nine seconds up the road, an advantage Norris couldn’t slash entirely.
“He’s fighting hard, but it’s up to him to do that,” Norris said post-race to select media, including Motorsport Week.
“He’s ruining his own race. He’s not racing very smart.
“We probably could have finished 1-2 today, and he didn’t because of that.
“So yeah, he’s fighting, that is always expected, but that’s what it is.”
These comments came after Norris told Jenson Button in parc ferme, “It’s the way it is with Max — it’s crash or don’t pass.”
Piastri ‘impossible to catch’ – Norris
Once he’d dispatched Verstappen, Norris had the daunting task of trying to reel in his in-form team-mate.
“I never wanted to let Oscar get too far out of my sights, but I had to put up a good challenge in the first quarter or third of the race trying to get past the Mercedes, trying to get past the Williams, trying to get past Max,” Norris said.
“So yeah, not an easy start for sure, but I made my way through reasonably quickly I think. And of course, the car was very strong today, so that definitely helps.”
Despite being able to halve the nine-second deficit by the chequered flag, Norris ultimately knew he wouldn’t catch Piastri, with Verstappen’s tactics costing him dearly.
“I gave it a good shot from when I got into second,” Norris said.
“There was a long way to go, I think 25, 30 laps almost at that point.
“I probably only stopped pushing the last 4-5 laps.
“The gap went from almost 10 to four or three, almost. I did all I could.
“I tried the whole race basically until the very end. I kept belief the whole race, but Oscar’s driving well. He’s quick.
“To catch from 10 seconds was always pretty much going to be impossible, but I gave it a good shot. I almost got there. Just not enough laps.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris: ‘It’s crash or don’t pass’ with Max Verstappen after clash in Miami
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