McLaren: Norris Imola F1 podium deserved on merit
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl believes Lando Norris' podium in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was earned on merit, as shown by his driver hitting the top three on pace in every Imola qualifying session.
Norris took his second F1 podium with McLaren after battling from seventh on the grid to third, holding off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc behind F1's leading duo Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
While Norris benefited from Sergio Perez' spin behind the safety car and McLaren team orders to release him past teammate Daniel Ricciardo, the British driver was good value for his podium.
Norris backed up fourth place in Bahrain's season opener by finishing either second or third on pace in every qualifying session over the weekend, although he lost his third grid spot due to a track limits violation on his best Q3 lap.
When asked if Norris earned his podium on pace, team principal Seidl said: "I definitely would say so, that it is a deserved podium today."
"If you look at the two guys that have been in front of us, they are the reference in this sport together with their teams at the moment. Therefore, it is obviously very, very good to finish in P3.
"It's important also to not again get carried away now with this result, if you look at how quickly Max could drive away in this last stint, then you see that we still have a lot of work to do."
Seidl, who had backed a self-critical Norris to bounce back after his qualifying error, said he was "obviously very, very happy with what I've seen so far from Lando this year", while also praising Ricciardo for a solid run to sixth despite still adapting to his new car.
"What was obviously very encouraging to see as well is how Lando is flying at the moment," the German explained. "So two race weekends now in a row where he showed that he definitely made the next step as a driver, so I'm very happy with that.
"I'm also happy with how Daniel was battling it through today. It was not an easy race for him because he didn't feel that comfortable in the car compared to Lando. We have seen today in these tricky conditions that a lot of people got it wrong and went off by trying to do too much.
"Daniel drove in my opinion a great race and still scoring despite the struggles he is still having with our car at the moment, scoring a very important P6 for us. So yeah, very happy that.
"Overall, it was simply very encouraging to see yesterday in qualifying and today in the race that confirmation again that the entire team together with our colleagues from Mercedes over the winter did a great job."
Related video
Previous article
Vettel: FIA "not very professional" in dealing with Imola penalty
Next article
Ten things we learned from F1's 2021 Emilia Romagna GP
The signs that point to F1's rude health
OPINION: Formula 1's calendar might still be facing disruption as the pandemic affects travel but, says Mark Gallagher, the business itself is fundamentally strong thanks to the epic rivalry taking place on track and the consistent arrival of new sponsors.
The unexpected benefit of F1's sprint race repeat
OPINION: Formula 1's sprint race trial at Silverstone drew mixed feedback on Saturday, but there remained the true test of how it would impact Sunday's Grand Prix. While fans were busy marvelling at Fernando Alonso's progress, a key lesson was being learned that would directly contribute to the dramatic lap-one clash at Copse the following day
The off-track considerations that led to Hamilton/Verstappen F1 shunt
OPINION: Formula 1’s 2021 title fight turned ugly last weekend when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at the start of the British Grand Prix. Verstappen thankfully walked away unharmed, but this had been a clash long-since coming.
British Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2021 British Grand Prix will live long in the memory for the dramatic clash between Formula 1's two title protagonists, which opened the door for other drivers to capitalise. One did so in spectacular fashion, while others fluffed their lines
How Leclerc almost defied Hamilton after Silverstone clash
A poor start for Valtteri Bottas and the lap one clash between Formula 1's 2021 title protagonists gave Charles Leclerc a surprise lead in the British Grand Prix that he almost held to the end. Here's how the Ferrari driver came close to a famous victory, ultimately denied by a recovering Lewis Hamilton three laps from home
The signs that suggest Mercedes can win at Silverstone
Red Bull and Max Verstappen scored an early blow against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes at Silverstone, with sprint qualifying race victory. But that doesn’t mean Sunday’s grand prix is a foregone conclusion. Although Verstappen starts as the favourite, here’s why Mercedes still holds hope of winning
Uncovering Silverstone's engineering secrets for F1 success
Formula 1 returns to Silverstone this weekend, but despite its familiarity to all the teams it is no picnic. Here are five of the key points for engineers to consider prior to the British Grand Prix.
The 'special relationship' Ferrari will hope to exploit at Silverstone
Ferrari might have snubbed the very first world championship race on British soil but the Scuderia and the UK went on to enjoy some deep connections. As BEN EDWARDS explains, theirs is a shared history that is waiting for its next chapter to be written...
