Lando Norris rounded off a dominant McLaren 1-2 in Shanghai with a second-place finish behind his team-mate Oscar Piastri at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the race wasn’t without its issues for the British driver who described the brake issues as “scary” and “his worst nightmare.”
Norris encountered issues with the brake pedal in the latter stages of the race, with the driver reporting that the pedal was “getting longer and longer.”
The McLaren driver commented on this during the post-race interview:
“Our pace was a lot better in the second stint. So, tough race, just with the [tyre] management, and I don’t think many people expected a one-stop today, so it was good, and Oscar drove well. He was quick the whole race, so I tried to get close. But in the end, I just couldn’t.”
Asked if he felt at any point he could challenge his team-mate for the victory, Norris explained:
“It doesn’t matter now, really, does it? It doesn’t matter. He deserved a win and he drove very well all weekend, so I’m happy with second. It’s good points. It’s great points for us as a team with a 1-2. So, a big thanks to everyone in Papaya. And, yeah, just how we wanted the race to go. So we’re very happy.”
Branding the brake issues as “scary,” Norris added:
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“It’s scary. It’s like my worst nightmare. When I have a nightmare, it’s when the brakes are failing. And I was losing the 2, 3, 4 seconds [in] the last couple of laps, so I was a bit scared, but we survived, and then we made it to the end. So, would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure, but not today. So we’re satisfied, great result and we’ll go again next time.”
The McLaren drivers were joined on the podium by Mercedes’ George Russell, who finished the race in third.
