Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other Lando Norris finished second at the Spanish Grand Prix following a dismal start to the race. 14: 57, Tue, Jun 25, 2024 | UPDATED: 14: 58, Tue, Jun 25, 2024
Lando Norris has joked that his bad start to the Spanish GP was down to an empty ice lolly tube (Image: GETTY)
Lando Norris has joked that his bad start to the Spanish Grand Prix was down to an empty ice lolly tube being left on the Barcelona track. The Briton started the race from pole position but was overtaken by Max Verstappen and George Russell on Turn One before recovering later on to finish second.
Norris was in fine form during qualifying and cemented pole position after clocking the fastest time in Q3.
The 24-year-old then entered Sunday’s Grand Prix with aims of clinching his second triumph of the year following his victory in Miami at the start of May.
But Norris couldn’t have asked for a worse start as he was hunted down by three-time champion Verstappen as soon as the red lights had disappeared. The McLaren star drifted over to the right of the track in an attempt to see off Verstappen, but failed as the Dutchman passed him on the inside.
And while Norris’ attention was firmly focused on Verstappen, Mercedes star Russell took the opportunity to overtake his fellow Briton on the outside to move into first position.
Verstappen soon outmanoeuvred Russell to take top spot, with Norris leapfrogging the Silver Arrows ace midway through the race to end the day behind the Red Bull man.
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Lando Norris (left) finished second at the Spanish GP, with Max Verstappen ending the day in first (Image: GETTY)
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Following the podium ceremony, Norris revisited the Barcelona start line alongside team-mate Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief Andrea Stella.
And after noticing packaging from a Calippo ice lolly resting on the ground just in front of the pole position starting grid, the blockbuster star pointed at the floor and exclaimed: “That’s why I had a bad start. Someone left a Calippo.”
The exchange was picked up by the F1 admin team, who posted it to their official social media channels.
“Not could – should have won,” Norris explained as he reflected on the race on Sunday. “I got a bad start, simple as that.
“The car was incredible today. I think we were for sure the quickest, I just lost it in the beginning. So yeah, disappointed, but a lot of positives, one negative and that kind of ruined everything.
“I’m not sure [what happened at the start]. I need to look back and review. I don’t know what I did wrong or if I was just slightly out. It was only a little bit to Max that I lost, it wasn’t like he was completely alongside, it was more that George was suddenly outside and kind of had me over.
“Fair play, well done to Red Bull and Max, another job done for them, but a shame that we lost it at the same time. So a bit frustrating. We’ll work on it for next time.”
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