Lando Norris REJECTS F1 break amid tense McLaren battle

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, McLaren, Hungary, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Belgian Grand Prix

McLaren star REJECTS break amid tense battle

Lando Norris was disappointed with his performance at the Belgian GP

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 29 July 2024 09:57 Updated: 21:29

A McLaren Formula 1 star has made a desperate plea to give both him and his team the upper hand in their tense championship battle following a disappointing result at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Having finished P5 following the disqualification of Mercedes' George Russell, Lando Norris appeared in low spirits as he lamented the podium finish of team-mate Oscar Piastri that easily could have been his.

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Despite qualifying ahead of Piastri, Norris got off to an underwhelming start at Spa, going into the gravel at Turn 1, a mistake he believes cost him the chance to fight at the front of the pack.

Norris' frequent poor form on the opening lap has become an issue for the young Brit and one he will be keen to fix as he strives to lead the Papaya family in their championship fight against Red Bull.

Can Norris continue to fight for the championship?

With Norris taking his first career victory in Miami this season, McLaren appeared to have gone from strength to strength over the past few races.

Following on from the team orders debacle and Piastri's controversial maiden win in Hungary however, their collective cohesion has been slightly off the mark.

Lando Norris has a history of poor grand prix starts

Lando Norris shared a frosty podium with Oscar Piastri after team orders in Hungary

Speaking to the media including GPFans, Norris detailed his poor start at Spa: "I just I misjudged it honestly. I just didn't want to get taken out into turn one. So I've left a gap and just misjudged the exit a little bit…I lost four or five positions. And after that it was always going to be a struggle.

“It was just impossible to overtake, the overtaking sucked today. I think there was very few overtakes actually done on track, most of it was just in the pitstops."

He continued: “I feel like we were quick, the car was quick. I just don't feel like we maximized what we could have done.”

Why has Norris been off the pace?

Answering GPFans' questions on the upcoming break, Norris admitted he needed a recharge.

“I mean, I think we all need it, but I think I just need to reset, I've given away a lot of points over the last three, four races, just because of stupid stuff – mistakes and bad starts, turn one now.

“Yeah, so I don't know why, just silly things. It's not even difficult stuff, turn one trying to stay out of trouble."

Norris appeared determined to not lose momentum, admitting: “The pace is good, the team are doing an amazing job. So I'm happy and in a way I just don't want to take a break. I just want to continue because we're in good form.

Lando Norris is 78 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship

“Even today, I feel like the pace was very strong. But yeah, I don't know. I just the last two, three races. I've just not clicked as much as I needed to and given up a lot of points. So hopefully, I can come back strong.”

When asked what he puts this setback down to, the 24-year-old replied: "I've lost probably a good amount of points off the line and now turn one again, easily a podium or even more. There isn't one one reason, maybe just trying a bit too hard and, and paying the price for that."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri George Russell Belgian Grand Prix