Lando Norris has no intention of altering his approach for the opening turn in Austin for the main race. During the sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas a day earlier, the opening lap went awry for both McLaren drivers when Norris was hit by teammate Oscar Piastri. The short race was immediately over for both drivers. However, the British driver is not scared, and therefore he will not change his approach on Sunday: ‘I hate standing on the second or third step of the podium’.
Lando Norris started second in the sprint race in Austin, but did not cross the finish line. A chain collision with Nico Hülkenberg and teammate Oscar Piastri caused the Brit’s shortened race session to end in the opening lap. The Brit retaliated by qualifying second a few hours after the nightmare scenario for McLaren unfolded. Max Verstappen proved to be too strong once again.
However, Norris is not going to change his approach for the start and the race to the opening turn for the main event. “No, because compared to this morning, I didn’t do anything wrong,” the Brit tells Sky Sports F1. “I want to win. I hate standing on the second or third step (of the podium). I’d rather not be there. I’m here to win the races and I’m going to do my best to achieve that, so I’ll do whatever it takes to seize that opportunity.”
Reduced Training Time
Lando Norris does have a slight disadvantage compared to Max Verstappen. Due to the early retirement of the McLaren driver in the sprint race, combined with the limited training time typical for sprint weekends, Norris faces many unknown factors for Sunday’s race. “We haven’t driven more than three laps in a row and haven’t used more than 40 kg of fuel,” the Brit explains. “As a result, we don’t know if it will be fantastic or terrible. It’s so challenging with the bumps, the bouncing, the wind. It’s unpredictable.”
“We hoped to learn a lot from the sprint about how the car’s setup changes from qualifying to the race, and then make adjustments,” Norris continues. “That didn’t go according to plan, so we’re at a disadvantage.” Yet, the McLaren driver – who, thanks to the sixth starting position ahead of Oscar Piastri, has a golden opportunity to catch up with the championship leader – remains combative. “I don’t think we’ll use that as an excuse on Sunday.”
