'Won't matter once we're dead' - Lando Norris on F1 title race
Norris arrives for the concluding round before Formula One's three-week summer shutdown 16 points behind McLaren team-mate Piastri in the standings.
The title momentum swung back in Piastri's favour at last weekend's rain-hit round in Belgium. Norris started on pole position but allowed Piastri to swoop past in the treacherous conditions.
Norris was unable to stop Red Bull's Max Verstappen from taking his fourth consecutive championship last year, but such is McLaren's superiority, it is team-mate Piastri who has emerged as his sole rival for this season's crown.
Piastri has six wins to Norris' four but when asked if he needs to get under the Australian's skin to land his maiden F1 title, Norris replied: "I don't enjoy that. In 200 years no one is going to care. We'll all be dead.
"I am trying to have a good time. I still care about it, and that's why I get upset sometimes and I get disappointed and I get angry at myself. And I think that shows just how much I care about winning and losing.
"But that doesn't mean I need to take it out on Oscar. I just don't get into those kind of things."
Historically, intra-team title battles rarely end well in F1, but Norris continued: "Yes, he (Piastri) is the guy I want to beat more than anyone else.
"But if I don't beat him, then that's just because he has done a better job. I will do it the way I believe is best for me, and just because one person did it a few years ago, it doesn't mean you have to do that, too. I don't really care about those things."
At the Hungaroring on Friday, Norris completed an impressive practice double – beating Piastri by just 0.019 seconds in the first session before extending his advantage to nearly three tenths later in the day.
Norris has never been out-qualified by a team-mate on his six previous visits here, and he will be encouraged by his showing in practice.
Over at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton has won a record eight times in Hungary and has secured nine pole positions. But the 40-year-old, who remains without a podium in Ferrari colours, struggled for pace on Friday.
In the first session, he complained his car didn't "feel good" and ran off the road at the first corner following a major lock-up. He ended the day in sixth, three tenths and as many places behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen ended speculation he could leave Red Bull at the end of the year by committing his future there for at least another season. However, he finished a distant 14th in practice, 1.1 seconds slower than Norris.
"I don't know what is going on," said Verstappen over the radio. "It is just undriveable."
Verstappen is also facing a stewards' investigation after he threw a towel – seemingly left in the Dutchman's cockpit by accident – out of his car.
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The Irish Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Lando Norris kisses proud girlfriend Margarida Corceiro as F1 star celebrates tense Hungarian GP win over Piastri
LANDO NORRIS planted a huge kiss on girlfriend Margaria Corceiro after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix by the skin of his teeth. The Brit finished just ahead of Oscar Piastri to trail his McLaren team-mate by just nine points in the title race. 9 Lando Norris celebrates with girlfriend Margarida Corceiro after winning the Hungarian Grand prix Credit: Getty 9 They shared a passionate kiss after his triumph 9 Norris won a tense race to close the gap on McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to just nine points Credit: Getty 9 The Brit's brilliant one-stop strategy helped him see off Piastri Credit: Getty 9 Norris crosses the line with Piastri right behind him Credit: EPA It will go down as a pivotal moment for the championship as the plucky Brit had gambled on a one-stop strategy and it paid off against the bold and fearless Aussie, who hunted him down like a shark until the very end but had to settle for second. The win caps a brilliant weekend for Norris, who a day earlier had arrived alongside Margarida for the first time since they rekindled their relationship. George Russell came in third after coming out on top of a fierce battle for third with Charles Leclerc, who had a meltdown at his Ferrari team for blowing pole-position. Leclerc got away well, holding his lead at the front, while a horrible start from Lando Norris saw him slip down two-places into fifth. READ MORE IN F1 MARGA MIA Norris goes public with on-off girlfriend Margarida Corceiro at Hungarian GP Mercedes' George Russell nipped up to third with Fernando Alonso close behind him in fourth. Meanwhile, it was not a good start for Lewis Hamilton as he was overtaken by Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap, leaving him in 14th and a lot of ground to make up. By lap three Norris got by Alonso's Aston Martin for fourth while Leclerc was building a lead ahead of Piastri out front. Norris was soon snapping at the heels of Russell in the battle for third, but just couldn't get past the Mercedes driver until he pitted on lap 20. Finally things got spicy when Max Verstappen went for an audacious move on his old rival Lewis Hamilton but the Ferrari driver ran wide. The pair nearly made contact but the Dutchman got ahead and snatched 11th place from the Brit. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The stewards made note of the incident and Verstappen was under investigation. Lando Norris sprayed the gravel with two wheels before he was urged to 'keep the focus' by his race engineer Will Joseph. Piastri was over eight seconds ahead of his teammate by lap 45 with Norris closing in and setting a new fastest lap time to eat into the gap between them. The Aussie was dwindling and pitted before remerging and hunting down Leclerc until he left him for dust on lap 51. Norris was the only driver ahead of him now, rolling the dice with the one-stop strategy until the end. Leclerc was left livid at his team for letting first-place fall from their clutches and fumed on the radio: "This is so incredibly frustrating. We have lost all competitiveness, you just have to listen to me. "I would have found a different way of managing those issues. "Now it's just undriveable. It's a miracle if we finish on the podium." Piastri hunted Norris on his fresh tyres with just over three-seconds separating them with 10-laps to go. Russell was left seething as Leclerc twice moved over to the right as Russell tried to dive down the inside to overtake with the two nearly making contact. Russell was fuming on the radio demanding a penalty for the Monegasque driver and the stewards investigated. Leclerc was slapped with a five-second time penalty but didn't lose any places. Fans were licking their lips at the battle between Norris and Piastri at the front, as the two McLarens lapped 12th place Hamilton who finished where he started. After his win a jubilant Norris said: "I'm dead. I'm dead. It was tough. "We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. "The final stint with Oscar catching I was pushing flat out. "Rewarding even more because of that. The perfect result today. "I didn't think it would get us the win, I thought it would get us maybe into second. "I knew if I had clean air and could push I could maybe make things work and that's what we did. "It always is a bit of a gamble these kind of things. It also requires no mistakes, good laps, good strategy and that's what we had today. "We're so tightly fought it's hard to say if momentum is on anyone's side. "It's tough but fun racing against Oscar. Credit to Oscar he put up a good charge and I just about held on." 9 Margarida watches on lovingly in the McLaren garage Credit: AP 9 She earlier arrived in a crop top to watch Norris in Hungary Credit: PA 9 Leclerc started on pole but fumed at his Ferrari team after dropping to fourth Credit: AP
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Lando Norris cuts Oscar Piastri's lead with Hungarian GP success
Lando Norris held off a thrilling late charge from Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and reduce his world championship rival's lead to nine points. Norris was running in fourth place but benefited from stopping for tyres one fewer time than his rivals to land his fifth victory of the season. The British driver took the chequered flag just six tenths ahead of Piastri, who went within centimetres of colliding with Norris on the last-but-one lap when he locked up his front-right tyre at the opening corner. "Remember how we go racing, Oscar," came the warning from his race engineer, Tom Stallard. George Russell passed Charles Leclerc with eight laps to go to take the final spot on the podium. Pole-sitter Leclerc had to settle for fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who urged Ferrari to replace him after he qualified only 12th, finished in the same position, a lap down. Norris' win in the concluding round before the summer break - his third triumph from his last four appearances - reignites his bid to land a maiden world crown. But the Bristolian can count himself somewhat fortunate to be standing on the top step of the podium. Norris started third, and although he got away well from his marks, an attempt to pass Piastri on the inside of the opening corner backfired. Norris did not commit to the overtake and that left him in no-man's land, allowing Russell and then Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso to breeze through. On lap three, Norris fought his way clear of Alonso but was then tucked up behind Russell and making little progress. On Saturday, Hamilton described himself as "absolutely useless" after he was knocked out of Q2 with Leclerc, in the other scarlet car, having taken the Scuderia's first pole of the year. By the end of the first lap, Hamilton dropped behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli and was 14th. By eight laps, he was 20 seconds behind Leclerc, and at the end of lap 14, he trailed his team-mate by half a minute. Piastri was the first of the leaders to blink, stopping for hard tyres on lap 18. Ferrari, reacting to Piastri's stop, pulled in Leclerc on the next lap. On fresh tyres, Piastri had been quicker than the Ferrari, but Leclerc managed to stay ahead. Russell also stopped on lap 19 promoting Norris to the lead. Further back, and Max Verstappen, who had also taken on fresh tyres, was tucked up behind Hamilton, yet to stop, in a duel for 11th. Verstappen threw his Red Bull underneath Hamilton's Ferrari at Turn 4 on lap 29, with the seven-time world champion running off the road and losing the place to his old nemesis. The flashpoint will be investigated by the stewards after the race. Returning to the front, and McLaren were now considering a one-stop strategy for Norris. His race engineer, Will Joseph, was on the radio: "Lando, 40 laps on the hard tyre, you up for it?" Norris replied: "Yeah, why not?" On lap 31 of 70 he came in for his sole change of tyres before lighting up the timesheets with the fastest laps of the race so far. Norris then dropped two wheels through the gravel on the exit of the chicane, which irked Joseph. "Lando, just keep the focus, we don't want these mistakes," he said. Both Leclerc and Piastri were forced to stop again on laps 40 and 45, respectively. Norris now led Leclerc by seven seconds, with Piastri five seconds further back. But Piastri was on the move, swatting Leclerc aside on lap 51 and then setting about reducing Norris' nine-second advantage. With five laps to go, Piastri was just a second behind, and on the penultimate lap attempted a banzai move at the first corner but Norris remained ahead to land what could be a pivotal win in his championship charge. Alonso finished fifth, one place ahead of rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Verstappen finished ninth, with Hamilton fighting his way past Pierre Gasly and then Sainz but finished outside of the points on a desperate weekend for the 40-year-old.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Lando Norris holds off Oscar Piastri to win thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix
Lando Norris held off a thrilling late charge from Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and reduce his world championship rival's lead to nine points. Norris was running in fourth place but benefited from stopping for tyres one fewer time than his rivals to land his fifth victory of the season. The British driver took the chequered flag just six tenths ahead of Piastri, who went within centimetres of colliding with Norris on the last-but-one lap when he locked up his front-right tyre at the opening corner. 'Remember how we go racing, Oscar,' came the warning from his race engineer, Tom Stallard. George Russell passed Charles Leclerc with eight laps to go to take the final spot on the podium. Pole-sitter Leclerc had to settle for fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who urged Ferrari to replace him after he qualified only 12th, finished in the same position, a lap down. Norris' win in the concluding round before the summer break – his third triumph from his last four appearances – reignites his bid to land a maiden world crown. But the Bristolian can count himself somewhat fortunate to be standing on the top step of the podium. Norris started third, and although he got away well from his marks, an attempt to pass Piastri on the inside of the opening corner backfired. Norris did not commit to the overtake and that left him in no-man's land, allowing Russell and then Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso to breeze through. On lap three, Norris fought his way clear of Alonso but was then tucked up behind Russell and making little progress. On Saturday, Hamilton described himself as 'absolutely useless' after he was knocked out of Q2 with Leclerc, in the other scarlet car, having taken the Scuderia's first pole of the year. By the end of the first lap, Hamilton dropped behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli and was 14th. By eight laps, he was 20 seconds behind Leclerc, and at the end of lap 14, he trailed his team-mate by half a minute. Piastri was the first of the leaders to blink, stopping for hard tyres on lap 18. Ferrari, reacting to Piastri's stop, pulled in Leclerc on the next lap. On fresh tyres, Piastri had been quicker than the Ferrari, but Leclerc managed to stay ahead. Russell also stopped on lap 19 promoting Norris to the lead. Further back, and Max Verstappen, who had also taken on fresh tyres, was tucked up behind Hamilton, yet to stop, in a duel for 11th. Verstappen threw his Red Bull underneath Hamilton's Ferrari at Turn 4 on lap 29, with the seven-time world champion running off the road and losing the place to his old nemesis. The flashpoint will be investigated by the stewards after the race. Returning to the front, and McLaren were now considering a one-stop strategy for Norris. His race engineer, Will Joseph, was on the radio: 'Lando, 40 laps on the hard tyre, you up for it?' Norris replied: 'Yeah, why not?' On lap 31 of 70 he came in for his sole change of tyres before lighting up the timesheets with the fastest laps of the race so far. Norris then dropped two wheels through the gravel on the exit of the chicane, which irked Joseph. 'Lando, just keep the focus, we don't want these mistakes,' he said. Both Leclerc and Piastri were forced to stop again on laps 40 and 45, respectively. Norris now led Leclerc by seven seconds, with Piastri five seconds further back. But Piastri was on the move, swatting Leclerc aside on lap 51 and then setting about reducing Norris' nine-second advantage. With five laps to go, Piastri was just a second behind, and on the penultimate lap attempted a banzai move at the first corner but Norris remained ahead to land what could be a pivotal win in his championship charge. Alonso finished fifth, one place ahead of rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Verstappen finished ninth, with Hamilton fighting his way past Pierre Gasly and then Sainz but finished outside of the points on a desperate weekend for the 40-year-old. 'I am dead, I am dead,' Norris said. 'We were not planning on the one stop, but it was our only chance after the first lap. I have pushed hard, and my voice has gone a little bit but it was the perfect result today. 'We are so close in the championship, it is hard to say if the momentum is on either side, but it is fun racing against Oscar, and I just about held on so I look forward to plenty more of these.' Piastri said: 'I pushed as hard as I could. After I saw Lando take on the one stop, I knew I would have to overtake on track and that is easier said than done.'
