F1 News: Lando Norris makes surprise AGGRESSIVE McLaren call admission

Lando Norris, Bahrain GP, McLaren, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Norris makes surprise AGGRESSIVE McLaren call admission

McLaren opted to keep Norris on track in Jeddah during the safety car period

Tyler Rowlinson

Thursday 14 March 2024 10:57

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Lando Norris has defended McLaren’s decision to keep him on track during the safety car period in Saudi Arabia.

The Brit started the race in sixth when Lance Stroll triggered a safety car in the early stages after a heavy crash.

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Norris, along with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu, opted to stay out on track and gain track position, while the rest of the field stopped for fresh tyres.

This left the McLaren in the lead of the race, albeit for a brief period after Max Verstappen breezed past him two laps after the safety car ended.

Lando Norris stayed on track after Lance Stroll's crash in Jeddah

Norris took the lead while other stopped for fresh tyres

Norris pleased with McLaren strategy call

Norris and Hamilton were hoping for another stoppage to allow for a cheap pitstop, but the race would go to the end uninterrupted, however Norris was able to keep the Mercedes at bay as it struggled to keep up with the McLaren in the high-speed corners.

Norris would finish the race eighth, two positions down from where he started and was beaten by team-mate Oscar Piastri – who finished fourth – and debutant Oliver Bearman, who kept the charging McLaren and Hamilton behind to finish seventh.

Speaking with Autosport after the race, Norris said that he has ‘no regrets’ about the strategy call, even suggesting that the team are a ‘little bit safe’ when it comes to these decisions.

The Brit said McLaren are a 'little bit safe' with strategy calls

“You never know at the time, and we wanted to try something different, and not just stay behind,” he said.

“We could have gained a lot of points, or we could have lost a few. And in the end, we lost a few. But that's just the way it is sometimes. So it was a good try, I think it was the correct call to make.

“Sometimes I feel like we're a little bit safe. It's nice to be a little bit more aggressive, and try something different. So I'm happy with our decision. It wasn't the best one, or let's say the correct one. But that's in hindsight. I'm still happy with how we tried to execute it all.”

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton McLaren Lando Norris Lance Stroll Nico Hulkenberg