Lando Norris says Formula 1 drivers have previously asked the series to make its Virtual Safety Car rules fairer.
The McLaren driver lost out due to the timing of a VSC period in today’s race. Norris was leading and had passed the pit lane entrance when the VSC period began. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was able to pit during the VSC period from second place, and all the other drivers had the same opportunity with the exception of Norris. The VSC period ended before he returned to the pit lane entrance.“I was just unlucky,” Norris told Sky. “I was the only one on the whole grid that doesn’t get a pit stop, so I lose 20 seconds on the whole grid.
“This is out of my control, it’s out of [the team’s] control.”
Norris said the VSC rules decided the outcome of the race. “It’s a rule that shouldn’t define a race,” he said.
“A race should be won by the guy who can put in the best performance, who maybe takes a risk by going long in a pit stop, long in the stints, and maybe you get a Safety Car later on, and things can help because you know that’s one of the big factors.
“But for everyone to get a VSC pit loss and me to get nothing, it’s unfair. But it’s happened in the past, others have won from it, I’ve probably won it from it in the last and it’s just I don’t think many people have lost a race win over it. It’s frustrating, I don’t feel like it’s the way you should lose.”
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Drivers have previously asked F1 to ensure any VSC period remains in place for a minimum of one lap, which would prevent any driver being disadvantaged in the same way as Norris.
“We’ve spoken about it in a driver’s briefing, saying they should leave it out at least for a lap so it’s equal for everyone,” he said. “Today I was the only one that lost out and I lost out about 20 seconds of race time and that’s not how it should be.”