lando went into a brand new track and was already on the backfoot with a gearbox issue that mclaren likely haven’t fixed since monza. they cost him a whole session and he was already on the backfoot compared to all his competitors. he went into quali using the first laps to get as much experience, then pulled off a miracle lap, going 0.7 secs faster and putting the 4th fastest car on pole.
he knew how crucial track position was in this race, had a faster reaction off the line, defended hard against kimi to hold the lead and built a 6 secs gap before the vsc came out. the fia calls the vsc conveniently after lando passes the pitlane, despite the car being stopped for at least 30 secs before. mclaren sees that the track is clear and still calls him into the pits, he has a 7.0 sec pitstop and comes out in p5, now 16 seconds behind the lead.
he keeps pushing, setting fastest laps and trying anything to get those positions back, but it’s not enough when overtaking here is almost impossible. he spends most races trying to undo the damage caused by his team, and his drives the entire season will never go unnoticed. truly the driver of the season.
kimi: "i think today, it's good to win but it doesn't feel as good because i think lando today deserved to win"
even his competitors have sympathy for him
hiding behind “no blame culture” to avoid ever taking even a modicum of accountability is the most cowardly team attitude I’ve ever witnessed @McLarenF1.
and refusing to overhaul the top of your strategy department after YEARS of this is a complete sporting and business failing.
lando: "not a lot we could do.. load of shit. just take it on the chin, we were too quick, that's all it was. very unlucky today guys we deserved the win easily, a big thank you. didn't think we'd have a chance here, we should've won. well done guys. keep it going and i'll keep on delivering. ahhh what a shitty day but lets keep fighting please"
will: "we will mate!"
people will keep calling this “bad luck” for norris
It wasnt
stroll was parked around 40s before the vsc came out, just after lando passed but good enough for kimi
not the first time this season we see a curious timing vsc for antonelli
and then typical mclaren
Andrea Stella careful, you’ll move me
“It was certainly one of the most impressive laps I have witnessed as a person watching telemetry for about 450 Grand Prix.”
“At no stage of the weekend did we show that the car was at the level to be in pole position. We were rather lacking in the first sector, in the slow curves and on the curbs, and for the drivers it was very difficult to put together a lap.”
"I think the most impressive thing is the fact that it's still a pole position despite losing three and a half tenths in the last corner. It means that, without that problem, it would have been a pretty clear pole.”
“The thing that makes that lap unique is the precision: the braking, the input speed, the way to take the curb, the opening of the gas. Everything was executed with a truly unique level of precision. It was an incredible precision in the execution, meter after meter.”