- McLaren driver Lando Norris beat Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix
- A Safety Car restart in the midst of the race resulted in an exciting wheel-to-wheel battle
- McLaren equipped Norris’ car with the harder, slower, but more durable tyres
McLaren driver Lando Norris attributes his excellent defence against Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and second-place finish at the Silverstone British Grand Prix to a pivotal setup choice.
A Safety Car restart in the midst of the race resulted in an exciting wheel-to-wheel battle between the two Norris and Hamilton who are both British citizens.
Hamilton chose to pit, giving his car the fastest soft tyres when the Safety Car was deployed, which put Norris at a disadvantage.
McLaren equipped Norris’ car with the harder, slower, but more durable tyres. Unfazed, the 23-year-old displayed outstanding defensive abilities over the course of two laps, successfully keeping the Mercedes driver at bay.
Lando Norris at the British Grand Prix. Photo/Sky Sports
It was such a huge thing since, for the first time since 1999, two British drivers shared the podium at the British Grand Prix.
Norris said that it was his most enjoyable duel yet on home soil because the competition was stiff.
The McLaren driver said that he chose a slightly different downforce configuration from that of his teammate Oscar Piastri.
His goal was to outpace Hamilton in racing conditions by going faster down the straights, which was crucial in holding him off.
This saved him so much and he is grateful that he went for a downforce because it saved him so much.
He also emphasised how well his car handled turns at high speeds, saying it was on rails through all the Silverstone stretches, Norris consistently opened up a gap to Hamilton, but he struggled to keep it open through turns at a low speed.
He expressed hope that McLaren will become a more frequent competitor for the top spots with additional advancements in slow-speed performance.
In his account of the on-track conflict, Hamilton mentioned his attempt to pass Norris in Turn Seven (Luffield).
Both drivers were employing the overtaking option even though the button had been deactivated, but Norris benefited from reduced drag because of his configuration with a smaller wing.
Lando Norris. Photo/The Independent
As a result of Norris’ superior straight-line speed, Hamilton was forced to back off. It brought back thoughts of their collision with Max Verstappen in 2021, which culminated in contact and the Red Bull driver crashing into the barriers, as they engaged in a fierce fight down the old pit straight towards Copse turn.
But this time, the British racers gave each other just enough room to compete, and Hamilton commended Norris for his fair but aggressive strategy. Norris’ innate talent was evident to Hamilton, who welcomed the chance for another duel.
“He is very talented, naturally, as you can see and I think it’s great when you can have close battles like that and rely on the driver that you’re competing with to be hard but fair,” Sky Sports reports.
Hamilton admitted that he wanted to second podium finish in this race but he lost it to Norris and deservedly so.
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