Norris Demands VSC Rule Change After Madrid Loss — SkimNews
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- Lando Norris called the Lap 15 VSC at the Spanish Grand Prix "unfair" — he was six seconds clear of Kimi Antonelli when the VSC was triggered just after he'd passed the pit entry, leaving him as the only driver on the grid unable to box.
- Race-winner Antonelli said he "felt bad" for Norris, and Norris noted drivers have previously asked race control in briefings to keep VSCs out for at least one lap so every car gets an equal chance to pit.
- The two-minute VSC ended before Norris reached the pit entry on the next lap; he ultimately pitted under green flag conditions, dropped to fifth on track, and recovered only to third by the checkered flag.
- McLaren CEO Zak Brown called the VSCs "cruel today twice," saying Norris was "dominant," "a league of his own," and that the team lost a race they'd led by 20-25 seconds.
- McLaren team principal Andrea Stella ruled out staying out on track because Norris's worn medium tires couldn't build a gap against rivals on fresh hards — calling it almost a "mathematical definition of being unlucky."
- Norris acknowledged a rule change is complicated (wet-weather slicks, punctures) and would need collective driver agreement, while conceding he himself once benefited from the same luck — his maiden 2024 Miami Grand Prix win came via a Safety Car-aided cheap pit stop over Max Verstappen.
Why it matters: Norris lost a dominant 20-25-second race lead not to pace or strategy but to a timing accident baked into F1's safety architecture — the same VSC framework introduced after Jules Bianchi's fatal 2014 crash. With Norris confirming drivers have already raised this in past briefings, the Madrid result hands governing bodies fresh political cover to formalize a rule tweak before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 26.
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