Lando Norris took one more second place on the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday however feared his resurgent McLaren workforce could now have missed their finest probability of a win this season.
The 23-year-old Briton has completed runner-up 5 occasions this 12 months and 6 occasions in a Formulation One profession that continues to be and not using a victory.
If that was an surprising bonus, with McLaren additionally overtaking Aston Martin for fourth place total, Norris was nonetheless beating himself up for the one which bought away two weeks earlier in Qatar, the place he completed third after beginning tenth.
Australian rookie workforce mate Oscar Piastri gained the dash at Lusail and was second in the principle race.
“I believe Qatar was our greatest probability of profitable a race. And I missed out on that one,” Norris advised reporters. “I believe there is not any… Qatar-style circuits left which is the place we’re robust.
“When you appeared on the GPS and the overlays of how dangerous we’re within the gradual pace I am not trying ahead to Brazil. I believe we’ll be fairly surprising there.”
Norris seized the lead from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, additionally later disqualified, on the first nook in Austin and led till the half distance when Purple Bull’s eventual winner Max Verstappen overtook him.
Verstappen went on to have a good time his fiftieth win and record-equalling fifteenth in 18 races this season.
The Dutch driver identified to Norris that the Briton had an excellent file in Abu Dhabi, which hosts subsequent month’s season-ender after rounds in Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas.
“Possibly Abu Dhabi, you by no means know. We’ll see. I do not suppose they’re any good ones for us developing,” mentioned Norris, who’s near ousting now-retired German Nick Heidfeld for the file of most podium appearances and not using a win.
The Briton is now on 12, with Heidfeld taking 13 earlier than he departed in 2011. Eight of the German’s podiums have been second locations.
“I believe our greatest have gone. I simply wish to be hopeful that we will do good outcomes and I believe we will nonetheless struggle for podiums however these guys [Red Bull and Mercedes] are too fast for me,” continued Norris.
“We will look first rate, however I believe realistically we’re not at that degree as a basic bundle with these guys. So yeah, not nice ones developing however Vegas, Abu Dhabi are most likely the higher ones.”