After the first pole position of his Formula 1 career at the Russian GP, Lando Norris failed to convert his pole into a victory in the final stages of the race.
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After overtaking Carlos Sainz on lap 12, the McLaren driver held the lead for most of the race. Unfortunately, rain prevented Norris’ first possible win in the closing stages of the race.
Lando Norris defended his lead brilliantly in front of Lewis Hamilton. But as the rain got heavier, the reigning champion and the rest of the starting grid pitted for intermediate tires. While the young Brit stayed on hard connections. Norris tried his best to keep the lead but eventually slipped off the track and finished the race in 7th place.
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Former Renault F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Lando Norris is a match for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Russian Grand Prix.
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Lando Norris has proven he’s up to Lewis Hamilton: Jolyon Palmer
As quoted by the Formula 1 website, Jolyon Palmer revealed in his column that Lando Norris showed his strengths at the Russian GP despite not being able to turn his pole into a victory in the last moments of the race.
“We all know how strong Hamilton drives in the wet – he usually comes out as the winner. That was the case again in the end in slippery Sochi, but that was only because Norris did not pit for the intermediate tires, ”wrote Jolyon Palmer.
Formula 1 F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 11, 2021. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton during Sprint Qualifying REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini.
“As with the conditions, Norris has proven he can match Hamilton in a battle for the heads, which is tremendously impressive for a driver aiming for that first win.”
“The pit stop clearly made the difference, and between the first two it was more of a team than a driver decision that won the race,” concluded Palmer.
We’re miles behind Red Bull and Mercedes: Norris
On the last two race weekends in Monza and Sochi, McLaren showed a breakneck pace to outperform Mercedes and Red Bull. At the Italian GP, Daniel Ricciardo secured his first victory after the Monaco GP in 2018 and McLaren’s first victory after the Brazilian GP in 2012. In the Russian GP, however, Lando Norris secured his first pole position.
Even so, Norris believes the Woking team is still not on the same level as Mercedes and Red Bull.
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“No, we are miles behind them. It’s difficult because we could have achieved the best result in Formula 1 and I could have won a race, ”said Lando Norris after the heartbreak of the Russian GP.
Formula 1 F1 – Russian Grand Prix – Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia – September 26, 2021. McLaren’s Lando Norris on the grid before the race pool via REUTERS / Yuri Kochetkov.
“And in the end I was seventh. It’s tough because I feel like I’ve lost something. And it breaks my heart – and not because I did something stupid, ”concluded Norris. (Quotes translated via google)
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Can Lando Norris beat Lewis Hamilton next time they fight for a race win? What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
The post “In a Battle of Wits …” – Ex-F1 driver makes a bold claim by Hamilton about Norris first appeared on monter-une-startup.
