Verstappen faster than Norris: 'But not because the Red Bull is better'

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windsor analyses sprint race brazil norris and verstappen tyre wear
5 November at 08:28
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  • GPblog.com

Lando Norris was allowed to start the sprint race from pole position, but lost the lead to Max Verstappen after the first corner. After overtaking George Russell again, Norris was able to put the Dutchman under pressure for a while, but in the end, the Briton went through his tyres too quickly. F1 analyst Peter Windsor thinks that could be different during Sunday's race and questions whether pole position is an advantage at Interlagos.

Verstappen with best tyre wear

Norris was able to keep up well with Verstappen after overtaking Russell, and even seemed a little faster than the three-time world champion at times. However, the Brit lost speed as the end of the sprint race approached. "By that time, Lando's tyres were going away as well too, probably because he'd been going so quickly there, pushing them so hard there specifically," Windsor said on his YouTube channel. During the sprint race, Verstappen was already told over the radio that Norris was much faster in the fast corners.

"McLaren tonight [from Saturday to Sunday] are looking through their data and thinking, why do their tyres go off quicker or more comprehensively than those in the Red Bull? The answer won't necessarily be, well, it's simply because the Red Bulls have the better car. It's going to be because Lando's pushed very hard on that very demanding section in road for the tyres quite early on in the race, for quite a long time, and that's what did the damage, and that's why Max was just cruising with everyone."

Pole a disadvantage in Brazil GP?

Norris started the sprint race from pole, but thus lost the lead to Verstappen, who started from P2, as soon as he entered the first corner. According to Windsor, it is a big topic of conversation within Formula 1 whether pole position is an advantage at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

"In the Formula 1 world, it is a big topic of discussion whether it is better to be on pole, with which you start on the clean side of the grid, or whether it is better to start from the left [from P2] on the dirty side. It's a relatively short run down to that first corner, and it's a very tight first corner. If you make a half-recent start from the inside, from the inside from P2, half-recent start, it's almost impossible for the guy on pole to do anything about it," he explained.

For Sunday's Grand Prix, the roles are reversed for Verstappen, as the Dutchman will start the race from first position. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start the race in second position and thus has an advantage, according to Windsor.