Norris initially struggled to maintain up with polesitter Verstappen within the first stint on medium tyres, however after the only real pitstop for arduous tyres the Briton began closing the hole with Verstappen once more.
Regardless of a tyre life drawback, Norris really began reeling Verstappen in over the past 15 laps however simply didn’t get inside DRS vary heading into the ultimate lap.
Norris ended up lower than a second behind on the line because the Dutchman clinched his fifth win of the 2024 season, and felt he might have made a transfer with “one or two extra laps”.
However his group boss wasn’t so positive as overtaking proved extraordinarily troublesome at Imola and “it’s Max Verstappen” Norris was up in opposition to.
“Effectively, 63 laps is already many laps,” Stella instructed Sky Sports activities F1. “Many instances you say you prefer to one lap extra.
“It’s what it’s and in addition it’s Max Verstappen, I’m positive he was a bit in hassle however he managed to get probably the most out of what he had, so nicely carried out Max and nicely carried out to our two drivers, second and fourth.”
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Group, 2nd place, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing, 1st place, on the rostrum
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs
Stella referred to as Norris “a little bit of a grasp” at tyre administration as he saved his arduous tyres alive for a closing surge in direction of Verstappen, having first feared that Norris would come below stress from third-placed Charles Leclerc within the Ferrari as a substitute.
“We truly misplaced an excessive amount of time within the first stint behind Max, however we had an excessive amount of rear degradation and we thought truly immediately was about watching the mirrors [more] than watching forward of us,” he defined.
“After a interval on the arduous tyres through which we saved the tyres, whereas Leclerc and Oscar [Piastri] had been combating one another, I believe this preliminary funding paid dividends in direction of the top of the race for Lando.
“Managing the price range of the tyres was an necessary issue and we’ve got to say from this viewpoint Lando has turn into a little bit of a grasp.
“Oscar paid for some points we had yesterday in qualifying, in any other case he would’ve been on the rostrum as nicely. We take this optimistic and we glance ahead with some optimism now.”
Norris says shedding floor to Verstappen within the first stint on mediums is what in the end value him a greater likelihood at a second consecutive win, two weeks on from taking his maiden victory in Miami.
“I fought arduous proper till the final lap however simply misplaced out somewhat bit an excessive amount of to Max to start with,” stated Norris. “He was a lot better within the first stint and clearly within the second stint we had been stronger.
“It is nonetheless a shock to say it is irritating to not win. However after final weekend and the enhancements we made, it is what we must always have began to count on.”
