British young gun Lando Norris has admitted he was “scared” during the frantic opening lap of Monday’s United States Grand Prix.
British F1 driver Lando Norris has admitted he was “scared” during the frantic opening lap of Monday morning’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Norris, who started the Texas race at seventh on the grid, quickly became entangled in a thrilling battle with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap.
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Ricciardo was in a tight tussle with Sainz on the back straight before the cars went into Turn 12 three abreast.
Driving on the inside line, Norris intended to brake late and attempt a miraculous double overtake at the tight left-hander, but the young Brit knew there would have been a collision if he carried through due to the angle of entry.
“I was so scared because it’s such a wide track, and I know it was three abreast, I knew Daniel was on the outside, so I had to be careful,” Norris told Formula1.com after the race.
“But then I couldn’t break too late because I knew Charles was just ahead. So, the angle – I was on the apex, Charles was coming, pretty much, I was going to T-bone him if I went in any harder.
“So it got a little bit sketchy, I obviously didn’t pull the move off, so a bit of a shame, but tough.”
Norris ultimately finished eighth, with Ricciardo and Sainz placing fifth and seventh respectively.
The 21-year-old now sits fifth on the F1 drivers’ standings, one point behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who claimed a podium finish in Austin.
Meanwhile, only 3.5 points separate McLaren and Ferrari on the constructor’s championship in the battle for third.
“It was a long race, a tough one,” Norris said.
“Not a lot we could do realistically following (the Ferrari cars). At times, I thought we had better pace and I think, altogether, considering Charles was 25 seconds ahead or something – 20 seconds ahead of Daniel – I think it showed they were just the quicker car again today.
“So (it’s) disappointing that we couldn’t do anything more, but it’s the way it is sometimes.”
Red Bull phenom Max Verstappen secured a thrilling victory, narrowly holding off championship rival Lewis Hamilton in the final few laps.
The 2021 F1 season will resume on Monday, November 8 AEDT with the Mexican Grand Prix.
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