Norris revives old driver proposal after costly Madrid VSC blow

Norris appeared to have the Madrid Grand Prix under control, holding a lead of more than six seconds before Lance Stroll's stoppage suddenly turned the race on its head. The VSC was called at the worst possible moment for him, who had already crossed the pit entry and therefore had to complete another lap before stopping.

Antonelli and Verstappen were perfectly placed to react, instead, diving into the pits while the field was circulating at VSC speed and significantly reducing the time normally lost during a tyre change. Norris was dealt another blow when his own stop proved slow, with the combination of the unfortunate VSC timing and the delay in the pits costing him two positions.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Norris made clear that his frustration was not directed at McLaren or anyone in particular, but at a rule he believes should not have such a decisive influence on the outcome of a race. The Briton argued that victory should ultimately be determined by performance on track and strategic choices, rather than by the timing of a VSC handing some drivers a significantly cheaper pit stop.

He also revealed that the issue had already been discussed in drivers' briefings, with a previous proposal suggesting that the VSC should remain in place for at least one full lap after being deployed. In Norris' view, this would give every driver an equal opportunity to react and avoid situations like Madrid, where he estimated that he alone lost around 20 seconds of race time.

Beyond his frustration with the outcome of the VSC, Norris also criticised certain aspects of the Madring layout, suggesting there are some obvious changes that could improve the quality of racing.

In particular, the McLaren driver called for Turns 18 and 19 to be removed in favour of a more direct run into a hairpin, while stressing that the circuit has the potential to become a much better venue for racing. Although he enjoys driving the track and believes it works particularly well in qualifying, Norris does not currently consider it a great circuit for racing.