Norris Impresses His McLaren Team Principal: 'One Of The Best Races I Have Ever Been Part Of'

Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at 05:30

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella reflected on the "excellent" performance of Lando Norris during the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix race on Sunday.

Lando Norris started the race at Autodromo Hemanos Rodriguez on the back foot as he got caught out by yellow flags in qualifying and had to start from the 17th place on the grid as a consequence.

People suspected Norris had some pace in his hands, but nobody expected to see the McLaren driver in the P5 after the end of the race, especially with the obstacles he came across during the race.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was so blown away by the performance of the 23-year-old, he told the media the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix was one of the best races he has been part of.

"It was definitely an interesting and entertaining Mexico City Grand Prix. On Lando’s side, not only was it one of his best races, but also one of the best races I have been part of."

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Starting from the complete back of the grid, Norris made his way through to P8 before the red flags were waved. He was called into the pits just before, losing two positions before the race restart.

"His first stint, from P17 on the grid, was excellent, overtaking with great pace. We pitted him under the Safety Car believing this would put him in a very strong position, and then he lost out with the Red Flag."

After the race restarted, Norris got squeezed between two other cars on the way to the first corner and had to break to avoid an accident. Consequently, he fell down to 14th place.

At that point, it seemed like the race was done for the McLaren driver, but he did not give up. The 23-year-old fought his way up the grid yet again, and in a matter of about 30 laps, he crossed the line in the final fifth position.

"When we further lost out at the restart down to P14, we thought points were gone today, but Lando managed to overtake all cars up to a P5 finish in 30 laps. This is one we’ll remember for a long time."