Norris regrets the “unfortunate” pit stop timing in Sao Paulo and promises the team will “keep their heads down” despite the title setback

Lando Norris was left to regret his “unlucky” timing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix en route to his sixth place finish. The Brit lost after making a pit stop just before a red flag that allowed others to change tires without pitting.

While he ceded the lead to George Russell at the start of the race, Norris remained at the rear of the Mercedes for much of the early stages of what proved to be a chaotic affair. But after both drivers lost something due to a pit stop shortly before the end of a virtual safety car phase, their luck deteriorated again when a red flag was raised on lap 32 following an accident by Williams driver Franco Colapinto.

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This allowed those not already in the pits – including the three leading cars Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly – to change tires during the stop before Verstappen took the lead a few laps into the restarted race and they subsequently claimed an impressive victory.

Since Norris finished the event in sixth place – while also awaiting the results of an investigation into a breach of starting procedure as he completed an additional formation lap after an aborted start rather than remaining on the starting grid – the result means that the The McLaren driver has lost ground to Verstappen in the battle for the championship, with the Dutchman now 62 points ahead.