F1 Championship vice -leader Lando Noris seemed to be unusually calm in front of journalists, as if last week in Zandworth would not have suffered a serious disappointment. The athlete admitted that he had not lost their chances for the title and eventually win the strongest pilot.
In the Holland GP, his McLaren technical problem took seven laps before the finish, and Oscar Piatri gave Oscar Pyastri the chance to increase the lead in the overall ranking to 34 points. However, the British admits that he was able to survive it easily: “Of course it is annoying, but since it was not my mistake, it was easy to let go of it and look ahead. If it were my fault, I would still be tortured today.”
Norris also emphasizes that the title has not yet written off and his plan is to fight in a fair duel with a teammate. “I can still win the championship without any gifts, and so I want to do it,” he says. “It would be easier if someone else intervened between us every time, because our dominance actually makes my life harder.”
Australian Piatrs, who is equated with the legendary Allen Prost, is not in a hurry to celebrate. “Honestly, it doesn’t change much,” he explained. “In my career, I’ve been in a situation with an even greater lead that was almost deleted before the final stage. So it’s too early to start counting or settling for something smaller than the first place.”
Speaking of opportunities to improve his performance, Norris admits that he has no miraculous reserves: “I just have to be better in qualifying, make a little better decisions in the race and strategy. I feel satisfied with most of my performance, and this is very small nuances that can make a big difference.” Neither does Piatri think that a teammate will become more aggressive towards him: “I don’t expect something to change. We both drive as fast as we can and have not hidden anything.”
With nine races, the Briton does not panic yet, but ironically admits that McLaren’s superiority sometimes works against him. Even if he succeeded in finishing regularly in front of Piatrs, the Australian will almost always be in the next position, not several places behind his back. However, Norris maintains a athletic attitude: “If he has done a better job, I admit it. I wish the best pilot wins.”
