Norris makes surprise AGGRESSIVE McLaren call admission
Norris makes surprise AGGRESSIVE McLaren call admission
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.
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.
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“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.”
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
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- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
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- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
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- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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