Norris gets reminder of Russia 2021 after Dutch GP: 'Is not the same'

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norris interview after gp netherlands russell and russia 2021
28 August 2023 at 11:28
Last update 28 August 2023 at 11:57
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  • Sam Godber

Lando Norris started the Dutch Grand Prix from the front row of the grid alongside Max Verstappen, but soon fell back. The rain shower at the start of the race caused a lot of chaos and Norris stayed out on slicks for a long time. This ultimately proved to be the wrong choice, possibly costing the McLaren driver a podium.

Norris stays out too long in Dutch GP

As the lights went out at the start of the race, the first drops fell. Sergio Perez was the big winner by coming in right at the end of the first lap and took the lead. Norris, along with George Russell and others, stayed out for several laps on the soft tyres and both stopped too late for intermediates afterwards. As a result, the Brits fell far back in the field.

"I think it's clear we made the wrong decision, we made a bad decision. It's something we all want to review and talk about and discuss because we made a couple this season. We've lost too many positions and lost a lot of points throughout this year with a couple of these things. The second part of the race, we made up for it, not made up for it, but we made the right decision. Were one of the first ones to box, and we gained some time, we gained a position on George, things like that. The first one was just... Not great," Norris began in front of GPblog.

Similarity to Russia 2021 for Norris

The Grand Prix at Zandvoort had a similarity to the 2021 Russian Grand Prix for Norris. There too, the McLaren driver stayed out too long on dry weather tyres while it rained. In Russia, that cost Norris victory. However, the Briton does not see predicting the weather as a weakness of his team.

"It changes. I think there's been plenty of times we've made the right decision, a good decision, and we've gained. Generally, you remember more the ones you lose on than you gain on those. I don't think it's really the same thing. I think they're quite different, and I think we've made some good steps and some good progress with a lot of it. A day like today was evident we were a long way from where we needed to be."

Norris and Russell battle it out

After the red flag, Norris and Russell had a fight with each other. In this, the latter got off worst by far with a puncture. "The cars are so sharp nowadays. You touch them a little bit, and it's like four punctures all of a sudden. It was just good racing. It was close. We were wheel to wheel and I feel bad for him that he came off that way but nothing I should have done differently," Norris said of the incident with Russell.