McLaren bounced back at the Qatar GP this weekend. Lando Norris set the pace for the entire Sprint race, just ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. However, the Briton went against the Woking pit wall to give the victory to Piastri.
Norris led the entire Sprint race after taking the lead on Turn 1. The 25-year-old carried the 1-2 for the team. On the final corner of the final lap, Lando Norris made a shocking decision and moved aside to give Oscar Piastri the win.
After the session, the Briton admitted that the gap to third-placed George Russell was quite small when the McLaren duo swapped positions. Norris even admitted that McLaren told him not to indulge in such a swap ever since he planned this after the Brazilian GP. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old was glad to see Piastri take the Sprint victory.
It was probably a bit closer than I was wanting [to swap positions], but I had planned to do it since Brazil. It was a bit sketchy, the team told me not to do it, but I did it anyway.
Lando Norris said post-race
Norris: “It was probably a bit closer than I was wanting [to swap positions], but I had planned to do it since Brazil. It was a bit sketchy, the team told me not to do it, but I did it anyway.”
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Lando Norris confesses he was wary of George Russell during Sprint race
George Russell and Mercedes have shown promising pace in recent rounds. The 26-year-old was right behind the two McLarens in the Sprint race. Lando Norris admitted that he did not push further to ensure that it didn’t give Russell a chance at overtaking Piastri. As the Australian might’ve lost DRS if Norris went too far ahead.
We scored a 1-2, that’s what we were aiming for and we are happy as a team. I probably could have pushed a little more than I was doing, but we didn’t want to give George a chance.
Lando Norris stated
Thus, team work allowed McLaren to take a swift Sprint race win in Qatar. Lando Norris has shown that he respects Oscar Piastri by making this gesture. However, it remains to be seen how the 25-year-old performs in Sunday’s race.
