F1: Lando Norris reveals why he will not hold up Lewis Hamilton’s Brazilian Grand Prix charge
The McLaren driver will be in Hamilton’s sights as he tries to move his way through the field in Sao Paulo
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Lando Norris insists he will not attempt to hold up Lewis Hamilton during the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton will start 10th in Sao Paulo after serving a five-place grid penalty following Saturday’s Sprint race, in which he battled from the back of the grid to fifth in a supreme drive over 24 laps.
The Mercedes driver had been sent to the back of the field after he was disqualified from Friday’s qualifying due to an infringement of DRS regulations, which came as a further blow to his hopes of catching title rival Max Verstappen after he was handed the five-place grid penalty for a change of engine.
Hamilton passed Norris during his charge through the field in Saturday’s Sprint race and the McLaren driver will be in his sights once again as he attempts to reduce Verstappen’s 21-point lead in the drivers’ standings.
But after Hamilton overtook Norris with relative ease up the inside of the long pit straight, the 22-year-old said he does not expect to put up much of a fight in defending against the seven-time world champion.
When asked about the prospect of defending Hamilton, Norris told Sky Sports: “No point wasting any of my own tyres trying to keep this car behind me.
“If he has gone from last to fifth in 24 laps then he should have three wheels on his car or something to make it a little bit harder for him.”
After being shown the replay of Hamilton’s overtake on him during the closing stages of the Sprint, Norris added: “Looks pretty easy for him, doesn’t it?
“He’s not even had to work. It wasn’t that good of an overtake. I just didn’t need to take any stupid risks trying to defend - he’s in a different league compared to us.”
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas will start on pole ahead of Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Norris rounding out the top five.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments