McLaren 'not seeing hard rain' cost maiden F1 win - Norris
McLaren 'not seeing hard rain' cost maiden F1 win - Norris
Lando Norris has insisted he did not take a "risk" with the decision to stay on slicks as rain fell that ultimately cost him a maiden F1 victory.
The McLaren driver was fending off the challenge of Lewis Hamilton and even pulling away at one stage as rain hit the middle sector of the Sochi Autodrom with five laps remaining of the Russian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver bailed to the pits for intermediates as Norris continued on but was met with a significantly wetter surface on the next lap, effectively ending his chances of success.
"The thing is, we weren't hanging on before the pit stop, before Lewis boxed, the slick tyre was the one to be on," Norris told Sky Sports F1.
"For the middle sector, the intermediate would have been quicker but sector one and sector three, the slick tyre was by far the best to be on.
"At that point in time and from what the team was telling me, I made the right decision.
"They didn't tell me it was going to be raining a heck of a lot more and that the slick tyre wasn't going to be the one to be on.
"At that point, for some reason, it was not a risk, we were making the correct decision. Not seeing the rain or not seeing it was going to get a lot harder was the thing that caught us out and that is why we lost it."
Conditions "almost impossible" on slicks - Norris
The race-winning moment came as Norris slid off the track at turn five, allowing Hamilton through on the more favourable intermediate tyres.
Norris' woes continued as he almost missed the pits as he skidded straight-on on the slippery surface, earning himself a reprimand for crossing the white line.
"It is almost impossible when it is completely wet like that," he explained.
"The tricky thing is that there were four or five laps where it was drizzling and we were making mistakes, both Lewis and myself.
"We were both going a little bit off track here and there, but half the track was still completely dry so the slick tyre was still completely fine.
"It was just a very difficult position to be in the end. You are the lead car, you have a guy pressuring you and you can't afford to just do nothing."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 26 minutes ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 3 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- Today 12:38
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- Today 12:05
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