Norris says he didn’t give up the win, but lost it at the start

Lando Norris grappled with a tough decision during the Hungarian Grand Prix, ultimately opting to hand victory back to his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.

This choice, which Norris described as the “fair” and “honest” thing to do, came after a 20-lap internal debate. Despite his competitiveness, Norris felt he didn’t deserve the win since he believed Piastri had rightfully led most of the race.

“I put myself in his shoes… I had to do what was right” 🧡

A bittersweet P2 for Lando Norris after surrendering the win to team mate Oscar Piastri#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/ApwgJoKaG4

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024

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“I didn’t deserve to win the race,” Norris said. “Simple as that. The fact I was in that position was incorrect. If Oscar’s led the whole race, it’s not fair, and I don’t think that’s how it should work, that he should just let me pass for me to win because I’m fighting for a championship.”

Norris acknowledged that he lost the race off the line and not by choice. Both drivers admitted that McLaren’s strategy made the race more challenging than necessary. Norris initially planned to wait until the final lap to make the switch but reconsidered when his team pointed out the potential complications if a safety car appeared.

“Of course I’m going to question and challenge it. And that’s what I did. I was going to wait until the last corner, last lap. But they said if there was a safety car all of a sudden, then I couldn’t let Oscar go through and it would have made me look like a bit of an idiot and I was like, fair point, so I let him go two laps to go.”

Despite the difficulties, Norris maintained that he always intended to hand the position back unless the team changed their mind. This decision, though tough, was ultimately in line with his sense of fairness and sportsmanship.