Norris’ apologies for antics that “clouded over Oscar’s first race win”

Lando Norris says he has “not felt too proud” about his poor display of teamwork in the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver acknowledging how his hesitance to team orders “clouded over Oscar’s first race win”.

The final 20 laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix were anything but enjoyable for the McLaren pit wall despite having their drivers running in first and second place.

Out of reach from their competitors, McLaren’s greatest threat to a positive weekend was circulating the Hungaroring in the cockpit of the #4 MCL38.

The team’s earlier strategy call to pit Norris before race leader Oscar Piastri meant the 24-year-old had been gifted an undercut on his teammate in the process.

Originally agreeing to hand the leader position back, Norris began pleading with his race engineer Will Joseph to let him keep the place, benefiting his championship hopes this season.

Denied the chance, Norris refused to hand the place to Piastri, pushing his tyres to build an increasing interval over the #81.  

“Could it have been handled slightly differently from both the team side and a personal side? Yes, absolutely, and I think we wouldn’t have been having this conversation now in some ways,” Norris said speaking to Sky Sports. 

“Whether people on the outside think and [are] going to come up with their own stories of what happened and what I would and wouldn’t have done, I don’t mind about that.

“The things that I could have done, the fact that I kind of clouded over Oscar’s first race win in Formula 1 is something I’ve not felt too proud about.

“The fact we had a one-two and that was barely a headline after the race.

“The fact we had a one-two and nothing was really spoken about it from that side, that’s the bits I felt worse about.”

With three laps remaining, Norris reluctantly let Piastri by, slowing down on the main straight before carrying on with DRS range of the Australian.

They crossed the line in P1 and P2, however, not in the order the Brit would have liked.

“If you are thinking of it from a championship point of view, I don’t know when the point is of like if I’m 10 points behind, 15 points behind, whatever, at what point then do you go ‘can you help out a bit more’ or can you do this or do that?

“I don’t know when that point is and that’s not my decision. 

“But when Oscar has led the whole race, controlled it well, and just from a strategy side they have boxed me first just to be safe, that’s just given the perception of something completely different.

“It shouldn’t do, internally we know it doesn’t. 

“Oscar deserved to win and he did, as simple as that.”

Norris has admitted that if such a situation does arise again, he would “just let him past straight away” to avoid another controversy.

“It’s such a stupid thing that I didn’t because we were still free to race, so I could have just let him past and still try to overtake and to race him,” he said.

“Sounds so simple but it’s not something that went through my head at the time. 

“Such a simple thing like that I could have done. 

“I was just in a good rhythm and things were going well at the time. 

“I questioned the team a few times but I knew from as soon as they boxed me before him I was going to have to let him go, I was just a bit silly and didn’t think of letting him go earlier.”

Actions speak louder than words, with the Belgian Grand Prix posing the perfect opportunity for Norris to redeem himself as a team player this weekend.

Running at the Belgian Grand Prix will kick off tonight at 9:30 PM, with FP1 closely followed by FP2 at 1:00 AM, Saturday morning (AEST).

Image: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images

2024 Belgian Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, July 26th:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, July 27th:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, July 28th:

Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00

Race Start: 23:00

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