P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren has revealed how positioning on track and the weather conditions created the error in pitting Lando Norris a lap too late in Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix. Norris excelled in preserving his Intermediates in the opening stages to surge into the lead from third place and opened up a seven-second gap over Max Verstappen. […]
Norris displayed exceptional skill in maintaining his lead in the initial part of the race by moving up from third position, creating a significant gap of seven seconds over Max Verstappen. However, a crash by Logan Sargeant on Lap 25 led to a Safety Car period that changed the dynamics, causing Norris to drop to third after other drivers pitted a lap earlier. McLaren made a split-second decision when Norris was on the back straight and the safety car was deployed, a move that ended up being disadvantageous for the team. There was a discussion post-race about the close timing for Norris to pit and retain his lead, with the team contemplating whether switching to new Intermediates was the right choice given the uncertain weather conditions. Despite feeling that a potential victory slipped away during this phase, McLaren’s strategic decisions were influenced by monitoring the rain intensity and the competition’s tire choices, culminating in Norris securing a second-place finish after a battle with George Russell. In the end, Norris managed to finish 3.8 seconds behind Verstappen.
