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McLaren boss admits Norris's pit-stop suffered because of a cross-threaded wheel

McLaren boss admits Norris's pit-stop suffered because of a "cross-threaded wheel"

28-10-2019 17:28 Last update: 19:41
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Tom Mason

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl has revealed that Lando Norris's pit-stop that went wrong at the Mexican Grand Prix was caused by a "cross-threaded wheel nut". Norris looked set for a positive result before he was sent off too early when changing from soft tyres to a set of mediums.

The Brit ended up having to retire from the race after 48 laps to hamper what had been a positive start to the race before the pit-stop error.

"We had an issue with the wheel nut going on on one corner, which was cross-threaded, and that was the issue," Seidl told Autosport.

"We improved compared to Monza in terms of reaction, we managed to stop the car inside the pit lane and pull it back but obviously it is better to not get to this scenario.

"These pit stops are happening within 2.5 seconds and you try to go to the limit but these happen so quickly, especially when you have the issue of cross-threading, it is bad luck."

Following the stop, the stewards investigated whether it was an unsafe release but said they couldn't tell whether or not it was unsafe.