Lando Norris explains what led to his off-track excursion during the last safety car period in F1 Bahrain GP
Lando Norris reckons George Russell’s stoppage was the reason he went off track during the safety car restart at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia. Speaking to media, including Vision F1, in Sepang after the race, the McLaren driver suggested that Russell’s stoppage caught several drivers by surprise.
On lap 50, during a safety car restart, Russell stopped his Mercedes on track due to a power unit failure. Several drivers were forced to brake heavily to avoid the stationary car. Norris was seen going off track onto the gravel, prompting the FIA to note him for erratic driving. He was subsequently handed a driver reprimand, his first of the season.
Norris reckoned there were too many cars ahead of him when Russell stopped. While the drivers further ahead had a clearer view of the Mercedes coming to a halt, the Briton was caught unaware and had to react quickly to avoid it. The McLaren world champion eventually finished ninth in the race.
Asked by Vision F1 to explain the events that lead tot the off-track excursion, Norris said:
“It’s because everyone just hit the brakes into Turn 1 because of George. And I was far enough back that I couldn’t really see how slow they were going, and it caught me out. So that’s all.”
Lando Norris believes tire strategy cost him a good result
Lando Norris believes his tyre strategy cost him a stronger result, particularly his decision to start on slick tyres in damp conditions. He admitted that he was convinced at the time that it was the right choice, given that he was not the only driver opting for slicks. However, he felt his teammate made the better call by switching to intermediate tyres immediately, which ultimately helped the Australian finish ahead of him. Norris also felt that the lack of prior running on the intermediates meant there was limited data available to understand their performance.
Starting on medium tyres, Norris gambled on slicks on a track where grip levels were difficult to judge. Although the rain had stopped, the circuit had not dried completely, with significant spray and a mixture of wet and damp sections around the track. The Briton started the race on medium tyres and finished on softs. He was among a handful of drivers, alongside Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto, who did not use the intermediate tyre at any point during the race.
Asked about his race start and the tire strategy gamble, Lando Norris said:
“It felt maybe a little bit of a risk because the slick on a wet track is always a bit of a risk. But there’s enough people on it, that it kind of, you know, was quite convincing at the time that it was possibly going to be the right decision. And the laps, agreed on the inter [intermediate tire] when it was a similar kind of condition, they had so much grip and my inter was completely shredded after one lap. I was convinced that slick tire would work, but I think it was just the fact you’ve never really been on the inter [intermendiate] before. It made things just felt a lot better than they should have done in a way.”
Further explaining his tire choice, Norris said:
“So if we would have had a read on an inter [intermediate] from a previous weekend, you know, maybe I would have been able to understand it more, but that convinced us and it clearly convinced a lot of people. Yeah, obviously Oscar probably made the right decision in boxing. And we got it wrong today, that’s all.”
Lando Norris finished ninth behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished sixth. While the Australian was able to offset the tyre strategy with an alternative tyre choice, the Briton ended up finishing four places behind his starting position. The reigning champion is currently fifth in the drivers’ championship, tied with Max Verstappen on 188 points. McLaren are third in the constructors’ championship as they battle Ferrari for second place.
