Japanese GP

Horner respects Norris for not complaining about Albon pass

Martin Macdonald Tuesday 15 October 2019 15:40

Christian Horner says he respects Lando Norris for not complaining that Alexander Albon escaped punishment after an aggressive overtake beyond the McLaren man in the latter stages of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Albon initially went behind both Norris and team-mate Carlos Sainz, only to recover and burst through the grid to overtake the duo, with the move beyond the former sending the McLaren off the track.

The Red Bull driver was not reprimanded for the manoeuvre after he finished fourth, and Norris wasn’t bothered when asked about it afterwards, simply saying “fair play to him”.

Horner thinks Norris should be respected for accepting the hard racing.

“I thought it was firm but fair,” Horner told Motorsport.com.

“They touched front wheels but it was totally up the inside. It was good, hard racing. It was good to see the stewards make the right decision.

“Did he feel the same? I think respect to him,” he said of Norris.

“Whenever there’s contact it’s inevitable there will be an aggrieved party. I think that was good, fair, hard racing and I think that’s what F1’s about.”

Albon’s finish was Honda’s best since returning to F1 in the V6 hybrid era, but it still was a disappointing afternoon as Max Verstappen was forced to retire. Horner says the two parties can take heart from Albon’s result, though.

“Yeah, absolutely, and I think Honda’s best [at Suzuka] since they’ve come back into Formula 1 with the hybrid era,” he said when asked if the former Toro Rosso man provided the team with a positive to take from Suzuka.

“They’re the positives today. Even after a bad start, he drove very well and made it work.”