
Norris: I'm more proud of the pole position in Monaco than I am of the victory.
Lando Norris, having won the Monaco Grand Prix, said that he had dreamed of this since childhood, and he would be proud of this achievement all his life.
Q: Lando, congratulations on winning the Monaco Grand Prix! Tell us, was the view beautiful from the top of this absolutely unique podium?Lando Norris: All I saw were camera lenses. So the view could have been better, but the emotions were really indescribable! However, of course, it was great to see the whole team and my parents at the podium.… Since childhood, I dreamed of winning in Monaco and being the first to see the chequered flag.
I think everyone dreams of many things – getting into Formula 1, winning their first victory and winning the Monaco Grand Prix. That's exactly what we achieved today, so I'm proud of our whole team and myself too – it's a very important achievement for all of us, because McLaren drivers haven't won here since 2008.
Question: From the outside, it seems like you could only dream of such a weekend: you won qualifying and then the race by starting from pole position. Were there any difficulties during the Grand Prix?Lando Norris: There were no major problems. I suppose, of course, there were some tense moments when it was necessary to push, because Charles Leclair was driving very close all the time. Especially towards the end, when Max Verstappen was in front, there were a few such episodes, because I tried to keep some distance from his car, and that's when Charles had some chances to overtake.
But I think we acted correctly and chose the best tactics. It is always difficult to guess what exactly could have been done better, but I am sure that together with the team we will analyze today's events. In the end, we achieved the perfect result.
Sometimes there were difficulties related to traffic, because the cars were traveling along the highway in large dense groups, and they had to be outrun without making stupid mistakes, so I had to be a little nervous. Otherwise, everything went well – this applies both to working with rubber and tactics. So I'm happy.
Q: After such a successful weekend, do you have more confidence in your own abilities?Lando Norris: I think the success of yesterday's qualifying gave me confidence. If we talk about the race, then there was nothing new in terms of confidence – this year I have a pretty confident attitude every Sunday. But yesterday was a more important day, and I'm more proud of what I did on Saturday than I am of today's victory.
And not only because the pole position in Monaco lays the foundation for success on Sunday.: I'm proud of the way we acted. All in all, it was a good weekend, not only in terms of results, but I think I got an extra boost of energy that will allow me to better prepare for the stage in Barcelona, which will take place next weekend.
Q: What about the two mandatory pit stops rule?Lando Norris: I don't like it terribly, because it has added frightening moments related to the race. I would like to have only one pit stop, then I would feel safer.
However, the rules are not made up for me or for us to like them. They are invented for the sake of the fans, in order to make the audience more interesting. I don't know what happened this time.
Question: Would you like this rule to remain in place next year, or should it be changed?Lando Norris: It depends on where I start from.
Q: Did you have to get nervous when you realized that Max Verstappen was going to stay on the track until the very end? After all, if the race had been stopped with red flags, the victory would actually have gone to him. Were you ready to agree that there was no way you could influence such a development?Lando Norris: Yes. But what could I do? Nothing. Therefore, it makes no sense to talk about it. If that had happened, I would have had to congratulate him on his victory in Monaco. I was just completely focused on my race. Of course, I prayed that this would not happen, but I didn't think about the rest at all.
Question: Now that your personal lead over Oscar has been reduced to three points, does it feel like you've hit the reset button and your chances of winning the title have increased again? Although people have written all sorts of things about you, saying that your hopes for the title are fading, it's clear that everything is not going so badly.…Lando Norris: Yeah. I mean, people can write anything they want. I can't influence that. Everyone has their own opinion, but the fact is that 99% of the time it doesn't correspond to reality. So it's all nonsense.
Let people write, I don't mind, because I and my team know the truth. So it's okay. I've been working hard over the last few months to get back to the level I was at in Australia, to get my confidence back. And the mood I had this weekend is already a small step forward, but the goal has not yet been achieved.
There is no feeling that confidence has fully returned, so we must continue to work. We have a fairly fast car, and I don't want to say that we need to make it even faster, but in order for me to achieve the highest possible results, the team must help me achieve what I need from the car.
I still feel the difference compared to last year, so both sides have to make some efforts.…
That's why I say that yesterday's achievement was even more important, because I felt that in qualifying I had regained the old enthusiasm that I had been distinguished by all my life. Everything was always good with the qualifications – until this year. And I had to put a lot of effort into making it all come back.…
Besides, I have very strong rivals – Oscar, Charles, Max. You have to fight with the best racers in the world. And if you're not performing at the highest level, you can't beat them. Only my team and I know how much effort it all costs; only the team knows the whole truth, and it will continue to be so.
Question: Do you think Max was deliberately holding you back, trying to give Charles the opportunity to attack you and make it easier for him?Lando Norris: Have you asked Max about this? And what did he say?
Q: He said no and added that his tires just weren't working efficiently enough.Lando Norris: I have no idea, and I have nothing more to add.
Question: Regardless of how you spend the rest of the season and how your future career develops, what place will this weekend in Monaco occupy in your personal ranking?Lando Norris: One day my children will be able to tell everyone that their dad won the Monaco Grand Prix, and that, in my opinion, is the most important thing. I think that's what I can be most proud of. Of course, this achievement will take a high place in such a rating, because it was not only the pole position and not only the victory in the race. It was both, and I think that's the perfect result.
In any case, I think you can be proud of it all your life. But even more pleasant is the result with which I completed the lap yesterday: I completed it in 1 minute and 9 seconds. It is unlikely that anyone will be able to block this time in the foreseeable future, unless there are some changes on the track.
Cars will be much slower than these next year. Let's hope that my record will last a very long time. All in all, it's cool!..
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Norris: I'm more proud of the pole position in Monaco than I am of the victory.
Lando Norris, having won the Monaco Grand Prix, said that he had dreamed of this since childhood, and he would be proud of this achievement all his life...