The detailed account of how Lando Norris' absence from the Spanish GP unfolded during the Virtual Safety Car period.

Two seconds - this was the difference between Lando Norris crossing the Madring pit entry and the announcement of the virtual safety car that dashed his chances for a victory at the Spanish Grand Prix - one that Formula 1 race winner Kimi Antonelli ultimately claimed.

Norris had established a 6.2s lead over Antonelli by the onset of the 14th lap, and appeared to be in complete control at the front after the Briton navigated a chaotic opening lap - during which the championship leader applied pressure but ultimately went off track at both Turn 1 and Turn 5.

What seemed to be the beginning of an effortless win for Norris was abruptly changed by Lance Stroll's stall at Turn 20 at the end of the lap, as the Aston Martin's brake pedal failed and ultimately forced the Canadian to stop in the run-off area.

Here's a breakdown of what transpired and why Norris missed the opportunity for a timely virtual safety car pit stop.

3:26pm - Stroll's stall at Turn 20

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Stroll reported that he was already losing brakes, a situation that had previously affected Lewis Hamilton a few laps earlier. In Hamilton's instance, the Ferrari couldn't decelerate sufficiently for the corners, compelling the seven-time champion to ease off and return to the pit lane. Ferrari had wanted to preserve Leclerc's intended hard-tyre stint late in the race, hence the directive for Hamilton to bring the car back, but Stroll had no such reservations.

To his credit, he attempted to simplify matters by halting in front of the marshals' post, just managing to maneuver his car to the gap in the barrier for it to be towed away. The yellow flag was displayed just as Norris exited Turn 14. At this point, there were no clear signs that a VSC would be deployed; perhaps there was an expectation that Stroll's vehicle could be swiftly removed by the marshals.

"In hindsight, it would have been wise [to pit preemptively], but we’ll need to discuss with my engineers to ascertain if it was obvious that a virtual safety car would come into play," commented McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.

"Here, the issue is that you have to be extremely cautious because it's a 27-second loss if you don't pit under a virtual safety car. If you misjudge it, the penalties can be severe: from leading, you pit unnecessarily and lose the victory.

"Thus, I think a sensible approach is to respond to what is factual, to the actual state of the track. However, we will certainly review whether, under these circumstances, it was evidently clear that a virtual safety car would be called."

3:27pm - The VSC is initiated

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren

As Norris passed Stroll's vehicle, the yellow flag remained displayed. McLaren opted not to react preemptively, and the race leader navigated through Turns 21 and 22 - the final two corners of the Madring.

Once Norris exited the last corner, the VSC was called - McLaren calculated that this was just two seconds too late for Norris to make a pit stop.

Antonelli, now 6.3s behind Norris, had ample time to be alerted to pit - as did Max Verstappen and George Russell. This allowed Antonelli and Verstappen to switch their medium and soft tyres for hard ones, ensuring they could finish the race without further stops.

This meant Norris had to endure at least one more lap before pitting, but there was a significant risk that the VSC would conclude too soon for him to take advantage of a 'cheap' pit stop - the lengthy pit lane at the Madring costing around 30 seconds at standard speed.

3:29pm - Norris pits after VSC concludes

Lando Norris, McLaren

Antonelli and Verstappen rejoined from their VSC pit stops behind Leclerc, who had also stayed out as the full-course yellow conditions were called too early for him to risk switching from the hard tyre. Norris, had he received the VSC service, would have likely reemerged ahead of the Ferrari driver.

Norris was informed that he would be pitting regardless of the ongoing VSC; in fact, it was lifted as he rounded Turn 21, prompting him to immediately enter the pit lane. He complied with the instruction and made his sole stop for the hard tyre, although this further complicated his race as the front-right wheel was slow to detach, adding additional seconds to his stationary time in the box.

Stella believed that the slow stop did not significantly impact the outcome, as Norris would have ended up behind Russell anyway; the only silver lining was that Russell would need to pit again after using the medium. After catching up to the Mercedes, Norris spent three laps trailing within a second of Russell before the Briton made his stop at the end of lap 28.

"To be fair and for completeness, we had a seven-second pit stop, so there are definitely lessons to be learned regarding our operations.

"It wouldn't have altered the final outcome, because Norris would probably have pitted behind Russell anyway, and even if not, overtaking Verstappen and Antonelli wouldn't have been feasible. So certainly, we acknowledge that we have much work to do in our operations, and this isn't the first time we've had a slow stop. But in terms of the race itself, it didn't change anything."

Once Russell pitted, Norris did catch up to Verstappen - but faced a similar fate, remaining stuck in the Dutchman's slipstream until the race concluded, as victory slipped further out of reach with each passing lap.

Radio communications

Will Joseph: Yellow flags at turn 20. Yellows. Virtual safety car deployed, virtual safety car deployed. No drivers in the delta.

Lando Norris: Are we pitting?

WJ: If it stays out long enough.

LN: How significant is the crash?

WJ: I think someone’s brakes... There are marshals on track at turn 20, I haven't seen it. Just try to stay on the delta.

And Lando [radio cuts out]?

LN: I think so, do you?

WJ: Yes, we are.

WJ: Lando, confirming we are pitting this lap, regardless.

LN: Understood.

WJ: We still believe there are marshals on track.

WJ: Virtual safety car ending, virtual safety car ending.

LN: Confirming to box still?

WJ: Yes, confirmed box. So box this lap.

Should McLaren have waited longer?

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren

The lingering question is: should McLaren have postponed Norris' stop with the aim of creating a gap? With Leclerc impeding Verstappen and Antonelli, there's a case to be made that Norris might have been able to extend his stint, build the necessary 30-second lead to clear Antonelli, and either emerge ahead of Leclerc or stay close and wait for the Ferrari to pit.

The challenge here is that Norris was on older mediums, and the gap to Leclerc before the VSC was only 13.8s. While Norris was still quicker than the Ferrari driver, the time differences between them had been narrowing: he was 0.506s faster on lap 10, 0.272s quicker on lap 11, 0.264 quicker on lap 12, and only 0.027s quicker on lap 13.

Thus, trying to create the gap was simply not feasible, especially as Leclerc was experiencing no hard-tyre degradation and continuing to improve with fuel burn. For Norris to find a safe window to pit, he would have needed to gain at least 16 seconds when the VSC was lifted, which was essentially impossible. He was caught in a tough position, and Norris and McLaren opted for the riskier choice.

It was merely unfortunate timing for everyone involved; Norris remarked that McLaren had been "too fast" throughout the weekend - had the team been in its usual form, he might have benefitted from the VSC.

"We debated staying out, but you must acknowledge that you are on relatively worn medium tyres and those behind you will be on new hards - so you're unlikely to create a gap on drivers with fresh hards," Stella concluded. "Therefore, we had to accept that was our course of action, and that it was incredibly unlucky.

"Sometimes we mention being unlucky. I believe at times the term is overused, but in this instance, it’s almost a mathematical definition of bad luck."