Why Lando Norris should feel good about the win that got away

Lando Norris said the “win that got away” in Madrid came down to timing—his McLaren was “too quick” for the sequence of incidents that followed. During lap 13, Lance Stroll stopped at Turn 20 with a brake problem, triggering a VSC period that reshuffled pit strategy. Norris had about a six-second gap to Kimi Antonelli, but after passing the pitlane entry he had to slow for virtual safety car rules two seconds later. That timing meant he could not complete a stop-and-rejoin before officials moved the Aston Martin to a safer area. While much of the field pitted under green and Norris had to change tyres under VSC, his margin effectively vanished. The Italian Antonelli later said it’s “good to win” but “doesn’t feel as good,” describing his result as partly lucky.