Lando Norris “devastated” after missing his first F1 win at the 2021 Russian GP

McLaren F1’s Lando Norris had a heartbreaking Russian Grand Prix in 2021 when he failed to win the race despite dominating most of it. The Briton led the race 50 of the 53 laps, but a disastrous pit stop decision by himself and the team cost him the victory. When it started raining late in the race, several drivers, including race winner Lewis Hamilton, pitted to buy fresher tires.

However, McLaren F1 has not followed Norris. As a result, the 21-year-old lost grip due to his older dry tires and went off the track. He eventually finished the race in seventh place. After the race, a disappointed Norris revealed that it wasn’t the team’s fault alone, as he was also involved in the decision not to pit.

GP result in Russia: Lando Norris is devastated

During his speech after the Russian GP, ​​Lando Norris said he was “devastated” not to win his first F1 Grand Prix. “Obviously unhappy … kind of devastated. I think we made a call to stay outside and we stand by that call. The wrong one, of course.”

With multiple fans pointing at McLaren F1 for tasting Norris, the 21-year-old cleared the air as he stated it was his choice as was the team. “I made the decision just like the team. They thought I should box and I decided to stay outside. My decision. I thought it was the way to go.”

The McLaren F1 driver had done nothing wrong all weekend. He secured his first pole position on Saturday and was excruciatingly close to finishing a full performance on Sunday. Although he lost first place on the first lap to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, he drove an excellent race to regain that place.

Commenting on his performance before the Heartbreak, Norris said, “I felt like I did everything I could, even when it got difficult. I made a few mistakes and still left Lewis behind, good for the tires I rode on. “He ended the interview after the race by saying that he didn’t expect the track to get this wet, which in turn led to him making a mistake.