Lando Norris missed out on a victory at the Madrid F1 race due to challenging overtaking conditions, according to McLaren.

Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren Formula 1, stated that overtaking proved too challenging at the Madring, preventing Lando Norris from securing victory in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Norris clinched pole position at the new street circuit in Madrid and initially established a six-second lead within the first 12 laps of the race, which ultimately became his undoing as he was too far ahead to pit when the virtual safety car was deployed.

Following a seven-second tire change, Norris found himself trailing Kimi Antonelli by 16 seconds. By lap 48, he had managed to close the gap to the Italian and second-placed Max Verstappen, yet he was unable to make any overtaking attempts.

Stella believes that the slow pit stop did not impact Norris’ final standings. “Because likely Lando would have [emerged] behind [George] Russell anyhow,” he noted. “And even if that weren’t the case, overtaking Verstappen and Antonelli would have still been impossible.

“So, we acknowledge that there's considerable room for improvement within our operations. This isn’t the first instance of a slow stop. However, regarding the race itself, it didn’t alter the outcome.”

The Madring circuit could be a contributing factor. The race on Sunday recorded only 10 overtakes, the lowest of the 2026 season so far—even fewer than Monaco, which had 11. Among those 10, four involved Valtteri Bottas or Lance Stroll being overtaken at the back of the pack.

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Turn 5 served as the most significant braking point but followed a curve, complicating braking, and was too narrow for straightforward overtaking.

“It's unfortunate that overtaking is so arduous,” Stella remarked. “It necessitates a considerable lap time difference to facilitate an overtake. I believe F1 should consider whether modifications are needed at this track to create overtaking opportunities.

“Currently, while the straight may be lengthy enough, there’s absolutely no chance for two cars to navigate [Turn] 5 simultaneously. Thus, attempting an overtake is essentially impossible—which is regrettable, as I think if overtaking had been viable today, Lando would have regained the lead given his pace advantage.”

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