"Devastated" Norris stands by decision despite Sochi "heartbreak"
"Devastated" Norris stands by decision despite Sochi "heartbreak"
A "devastated" Lando Norris has stood by his decision to stay out on a wet track with slicks despite seeing victory in the Russian Grand Prix gut-wrenchingly slip away in the final three laps.
Norris had controlled the race after making his way past Carlos Sainz's Ferrari early on, with Lewis Hamilton charging in the final stages.
With the Mercedes within a second, Norris was able to pull away before the rain fell at turn five and through the middle sector. Both drivers initially declined their team's calls to box for intermediates before Hamilton made the jump.
As Norris arrived at turn five the next time around, it was clear the call to stay out was incorrect and his first win in F1 disappeared.
"I don't know where to start...unhappy, devastated in a way," Norris told Sky Sports F1.
"We made a call to stay out and we stand by that call. Obviously, it was the wrong call at the end of the day.
"I made the decision just as much as the team, in fact, it was more that they thought I should box and I decided to stay out. It was my decision, I thought it was the way to go."
On whether the weekend as a whole would give him confidence going forward after taking his first pole position, Norris said: "Yeah it does, it doesn't change too much.
"I think I had the confidence beforehand that I was capable of doing it, I have felt capable of doing it for a while.
"Just a bit of heartbreak. I feel like I did everything I could, even when it got tricky at the end, I had a couple of mistakes but I still kept Lewis behind and started to pull away a little bit.
"A bit of luck, like the laps I was out before Lewis boxed, it was perfectly fine for the tyres I was on. I was told the rain was going to stay the same amount. If it was the same amount, we had the right decision.
"I think staying out was the correct decision but then obviously it got a lot wetter than we as a team expected."
Norris "happy" with decision
The decision to stay out led to Norris' fall down the order and promoted McLaren's rivals in the race for third in the constructors' standings Ferrari to a podium through Sainz.
Reassured that the decision on whether to stop was difficult, Norris added: "Especially when there are two laps to go. With 20 to go, you are not as aggressive with decisions.
"We did what we thought was right which I am happy with. It was wrong at the end of the day.
"The guys did an excellent job and have done all weekend. I am happy with everything apart from that one decision which we will review and try not to make again."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner accuser 'angry and upset' over Red Bull SNUB as Perez bemoans lack of clarity - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
F1 fans provide SHOCK reaction to Verstappen Australian GP comments
- 3 hours ago
Ricciardo makes SHOCK F1 admission - ‘I wanted it to be over’
- Yesterday 21:57
Verstappen 'doesn't like' AWKWARD Red Bull Horner questions
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 champion issues DOUBT over Hamilton Ferrari move
- Yesterday 19:58
F1 News Today: Mercedes make HUGE Hamilton admission as FIA announce update on Horner scandal
- Yesterday 19:41
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
- GP AUSTRALIA 22 - 24 Mar
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
Related news
F1 calendar shortened: Is it right to decide against replacing Russian Grand Prix?
F1 decide NOT to replace axed Russian Grand Prix
Schumacher 'hopes and prays' for Ukraine after Russian GP axe
McLaren insist dropped Russian GP was "untenable"
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
Races
- 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
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860