Norris had began from the entrance after an excellent exhibiting in Friday’s moist qualifying session, however it all went incorrect at Flip 1 of the dash race after he got here off worse in a side-by-side tussle with Lewis Hamilton.
Having misplaced floor away from the grid, he discovered himself on the filth on the skin of the lengthy right- hand first nook. And, after immediately dropping grip, he ran large and dropped down the order.
Whereas he was able to recover and finished sixth, Norris clearly felt he ought to have completed higher.
Talking over the group radio after the chequered flag, Norris stated: “Yeah, I f***** up Flip 1, my unhealthy. I simply fully misplaced the automotive, so apologies. Ought to have scored some extra factors than that.”
However McLaren boss Andrea Stella moved shortly to say that moderately than the motive force apologising, it was the group that needs to be saying sorry for not giving him a automotive that was higher capable of combat for wins.
“Actually he would not have to apologise as a result of we’d like his apologies [for the car],” Stella instructed Sky Sports activities F1.
“He is aware of that he might have completed higher, however we respect the utmost effort and we work as a group. And in addition this simply offers a way of the type of individual he’s.
“He feels, I am positive, like ‘I’ve disillusioned the group.’ [But] don’t be concerned, Lando, you have not disillusioned the group. We have to provide you with a greater automotive after which all issues will develop into a lot simpler, moderately than at all times being on the restrict to carry on some vital outcomes.
“So it is extra as much as us, and the women and men at McLaren are working laborious to enhance the automotive.”
Whereas Norris would seemingly have had an opportunity to combat Hamilton for the lead early on if he had had a greater first nook, he doubted that he would have in the end been capable of stave off eventual winner Max Verstappen.
“Yeah, no likelihood,” he stated when requested if the win had been on the desk. “Possibly it might have been one or two positions increased. However that was it.
“I feel the Mercedes had excellent tempo right this moment. George [Russell] was catching us fairly shortly and Lewis had good tempo as effectively. After which the Pink Bulls and even the Ferraris, truthfully.
“I used to be managing to outlive simply due to the DRS. If I did not have DRS, I used to be lengthy gone behind all of them. Our race tempo was fairly surprising right this moment, which we type of anticipated with simply how the observe is, and simply our limitations now we have on the automotive.”