Lando Norris reveals 'rejected' F1 driver talks after race-defining moment

Lando Norris has revealed F1 drivers have held discussions over rules regarding the use of the virtual safety car after he lost Spanish Grand Prix victory due to its deployment.

After Lance Stroll stopped the Aston Martin on track, the VSC was deployed at the Madring, but leader Norris had crucially passed the pit-entry in the McLaren, whilst Kimi Antonelli was six seconds behind in the Mercedes, and was able to duck into to pits, as did Max Verstappen. 

This meant Antonelli and Verstappen were able to complete their pit-stops under VSC conditions and save race-time, whilst Norris was forced to do a full lap at VSC speeds, before then pitting just as the VSC was lifted.

He then carried out a stop at full racing speed, meaning he dropped down to fourth on the road, but in a net third as Charles Leclerc was out front goal-hanging for a further safety car or virtual safety car for a cheap stop. 

This did not come as Antonelli won from Verstappen and Norris, with the world champion feeling that the way the race was won and lost was "not the way you should lose."

"I'm past the pit lane, so I need to speak to the team, but it's not a guessing game, so I was just unlucky," Norris told Sky Sports F1. 

"I was the only one on the whole grid that didn't get a pit stop, so I lose 20 seconds on the whole grid. This is out of my control. It's out of their control. It's a rule. It shouldn't define a race. 

"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, going long in a stint, 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 safety car for a VSC pit loss, and [for me] to get nothing, it's just unfair, but it's happened in the past. 

"Others have won from it. I've probably won from it in the past, and 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. We've spoken about it in the past in the drivers' briefing, saying they should leave it out at least a full lap, so it's equal for everyone. 

"I was the only one who lost out, and I lost out about 20 seconds of race time, and that's not how it should be."

The article continues below. 

Ongoing debate around safety cars

The current F1 rules allow drivers to pit under safety cars or virtual safety cars for strategic reasons, and tyres are also allowed to be changed under red flags. 

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