F1 News

Norris: ''I put a lot of time into this and then someone's so selfish''

6 May 2020 at 08:19
  • GPblog.com

Simracing is becoming more and more serious nowadays and especially during the time of the coronavirus, many teams and sponsors use the virtual world to be in the spotlight. That went wrong for a while, however, in the duel between Lando Norris and Simon Pagenaud.

Bizarre action

In the virtual IndyCar race at the Oval, Norris took the lead. The Brit had a daring action at Pagenaud, passed it but the Frenchman didn't get off without problems. He had to start his overtaking race again, but didn't feel like it. Instead he decided to wait in the pits and came out right in front of the leader.

After talking to his spotter about the plan with the onboard radio for a few laps, he then kept his foot off the gas as he went out of the corner, causing Norris to bang on top of the Frenchman. Pagenaud was suddenly very surprised that this had happened, but of course he had to laugh inside.

No game

For a game that's quite fun, but nowadays sim racing is no longer a game according to Norris. ''Everybody uses 'it's just a game' as an excuse, but sim racing has become much more serious the last few weeks. It's on TV, so for teams, drivers and sponsors it's much more important than just a game'', says Norris in the ESPN podcast.

''You expect people to behave professionally, especially people who already have so much experience in the sport. Very disappointing. I put a lot of time in this and if someone is so selfish because they are angry with me for whatever reason, I just don't understand'', Norris concludes his comments. Pagenaud received a lot of criticism online, but the IndyCar rider hasn't been heard from yet.