Lando Norris: It was like racing in a Spa

      Lando Norris ended the 2024 season with a victory and just as successfully started the new one, rising to the top of the podium in Australia after a very difficult race that could have ended with anything. The British McLaren driver also made mistakes in difficult conditions, but fortunately for him and his team, they did not lead to any special consequences, and Lando rose to the top of the podium for the fifth time in his career.

      Question: The pressure was strong, the weather conditions were very difficult, but you handled it perfectly. Surely you are very happy about this victory…Lando Norris: Yes, I'm very happy. I want to say that even just starting the season with a win would be nice, but it's all the more satisfying to win such an intense race, because you could easily make a mistake and ruin everything right away. At any moment of the race, there was a risk of locking the brakes, hitting the white line incorrectly, and then the car would turn sharply.

      Sometimes it was very difficult to avoid hitting bumps or a tire barrier – in general, it was not easy. The weather conditions were changing, so was the condition of the track, and it was difficult to make the right decisions whether to switch to slicks or to stay on intermediate tires. The task only got more complicated when Max Verstappen or Oscar Piastri, my team-mate, caught up with me. I had to be nervous, but it's all the more pleasant to win.

      In winter, we made every effort to prepare for similar races, because last year we missed a lot in such conditions, for example, in Canada and Silverstone. Back then, we weren't prepared in the best way, including because we lacked determination, but now we have a very determined attitude.

      For example, I was informed about the pit stop in five minutes, and in the end it was the right decision that allowed me to win. It was a tense race, but now you can enjoy it.

      Question: Tell us about the most nervous moment when you crossed the gravel trap... Lando Norris: Yes, it was a dangerous moment. Max was driving on Medium tires at the time, and Oscar and I were on hard tires, so we knew that if it started to rain, we would have a harder time than Max. By that time, we hadn't had time to warm up the tires properly yet.

      Besides, when you're in the lead, you have to take risks – how actively can you attack? You see raindrops on the visor, and then the race engineer reports that it's starting to drizzle in the last sector. But you don't know if you should slow down by five kilometers or ten, do you? Maybe if you go 11 km/h slower, then everything will be fine, but if only 10, then you will fly off the highway.

      It is not easy to make such decisions when there are only a couple of meters left before the braking point. You have to do it instantly, without any preparation. Obviously, with the intensity of the rain, I was driving a little faster than I should have, so I ended up off the track. I managed to slow down to about the right speed to fit into the turn, but when I took off, I saw in the mirror that Oscar was also in the gravel.

      Max was already starting to catch up with me, so it was a very nervous moment, because everything could have gone down the drain. If I had stayed on the track in slicks, Max would probably have been able to overtake me, because he was driving on Medium tires, which were probably better warmed up than my hard tires.

      But we made a pit stop, and then only half of the track was completely dry, and the other half was already wet, and it was like a race at Spa. It was unclear how hard you could attack on dry asphalt, because there was a risk of quickly spoiling the intermediate tires. I think that's what happened at the end of the race – my tires were already worn out, and just because I attacked on dry asphalt.

      In general, there are many factors to consider, but since we did everything right and handled the stress well, the race turned out very well.

      Question: Are you happy that you have become the leader of the individual championship standings for the first time?Lando Norris: It's great, but it doesn't mean anything. I don't really care about that, because I haven't won the title yet.

      Q: Based on the results of the tests in Bahrain and your success this weekend, McLaren now has an advantage over all rivals. Which tracks do you think will be more difficult for you than in Albert Park?Lando Norris: I think there are tracks ahead where we will look even better, but there will be a few where we will have difficulties. We performed well last year, especially in the second part of the season, but everything went badly in Las Vegas. We were just shocked there. Although there were other tracks where we had problems.

      Definitely, now we were striving to make the car more balanced on all types of tracks – on fast ones and on those where speeds are lower, on those where strong downforce is needed, and where the downforce level is somewhat lower. But we have to be competitive on most tracks.

      Although where the grip is low, like in Las Vegas, we started having problems. There, the difficulties associated with the front of the car were more pronounced – we are talking about the granulation of rubber, the fact that the car was reluctant to change direction when cornering. However, we anticipate in advance where we will have problems.

      Even in the tests in Bahrain, where everyone thought we had a noticeable advantage, it was mainly due to the fact that we were able to run at a very good pace with a heavy fuel load, but problems started with a car with an almost empty tank. We weren't as fast as some of our rivals – it didn't help even if we pumped almost all the fuel out of the tank and turned on the engine at maximum power.

      We know that we have a lot to work on.… Overall, Las Vegas was the worst place for us last year, but I hope we can make improvements by this race.

      Question: During the race, there were several accidents on sections of the track where there are no wide departure zones. In such cases, especially after Fernando Alonso's accident, equipment was working on the track, trucks were parked, marshals were there – would you prefer the race to be stopped with red flags?

      Lando Norris: It was quite normal for me. Otherwise, you don't have to compete in Formula 1.

      Q: Tell us in more detail how you reacted when Max caught up with you in the last laps. What did you do when you saw him in the mirrors?Lando Norris: I knew I was going to have difficulties because I switched to intermediate tyres a couple of laps before Max and attacked even though half of the track was still dry. The fast sections of the track were also dry, and it can be said that my tires were already not in the best condition.

      I knew that my speed advantage would not be the same as it was at the beginning of the race. When the track was completely wet, Max drove at the same speed as us. As it dried up, we drove faster, and Red Bull started having difficulties.

      In general, I knew that Max would be faster than us in the last laps, and I realized that I would have to take more risks, because the finish line was already close. I made a mistake in Turn 6 when I drove one wheel over the gravel, which caused me to lose pace.

      Max got the opportunity to use DRS, and it helped him stay close behind me. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't just the pressure of him following me. I was worried that if I drove too close to the white line at the entrance to the turn, I would fly off the track. If I hit the curb incorrectly in turn 6, I will fly off the track. If I hit gravel, it will affect the acceleration dynamics, and he will get ahead of me.

      There are many nuances that can cause things to go wrong. I had to drive as carefully as possible so as not to block the brakes, but at the same time try to drive faster, because that's how Max works. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous, I often looked in the mirrors. It got to the point where my radio engineer told me to calm down.

      The engineers can tell by my driving style if I'm attacking too hard or when I'm cornering too aggressively. Then they immediately tell me that I should act more correctly or avoid any actions, because they know what kind of difficulties I am having. Especially in such situations.

      Moreover, this was a new situation for me: I had never led a race in such conditions before, five laps before the finish, when Max was chasing me, trying to put pressure on me.

      Max probably has this experience, because he competed a lot with Lewis, and he knows how to handle such situations better than me. But this was the first time this had happened to me, and I'm happy that I managed and generally remained calm. Last year, I learned how to do it a little better.  

      Question: Even before the start of the season, you were considered the favorite. Now you've won the first race – do you really consider yourself the main contender to win the championship?Lando Norris: Let's see… I know George said this weekend that Mercedes might switch to 2026 training early. If they have this attitude, it's great, but it's the wrong attitude. Sorry, buddy.

      We know that we have to keep upgrading this year's car. You just have to relax, and you'll lose right away. In Formula 1, as soon as you start thinking that everything is going great, they immediately catch up with you.

      I really think we're the favorites, because the team has done a great job, and our car is flying like wings. But there will also be races when we run into problems. If the season had started in Bahrain, I don't think we would have won, and you wouldn't be asking this question.

      Let's have a few more races before we start making any announcements. But now we are really ahead, partly because there are two drivers at McLaren who are pushing each other. It helps the cause too.