Norris: We are not only fighting with Max, but also with Ferrari

Lando Norris took third place in Australia, and that does not surprise him, because on circuits like Melbourne you can fight for high results with the McLaren car.

Question: You were on the podium for the 14th time in your Formula 1 career. Did the result exceed your expectations?
Lando Norris: I think if you take into account the retirement of one of the Red Bull cars, I would say no. I think we showed good pace all weekend and had a great qualifying, but even on Friday we handled the long series of laps with a high fuel load very well. That’s why I can’t say we didn’t have a chance.

What I perhaps didn’t expect was that we would be competing with Ferrari today. In my opinion we were inferior to Carlos in terms of pace, but probably faster than Charles. Therefore, to be completely honest, we will have to admit that we missed the opportunity to fight for 2nd place.

But since we admit this, it is a good sign, and today’s performance will give extra strength to the whole team. I’m happy to be back on the podium. Regardless of what happened today with Red Bull, we are capable of a good pace and let’s hope this continues in the next races.

Q: You say you could have fought for 2nd place, but what else could you have done to overtake Charles? For example, shouldn’t it have been worth using the tactic of an earlier pit stop before the final part of the race?
Lando Norris: No, I don’t want to say we did anything wrong, but on the lap where we pitted, Charles pitted ahead of us. In this situation we had to change plans and adapt tactics.

In the second stint I was close behind Charles and if I had pitted first I think I could have stayed ahead of him. But he turned into the pits, missing the opportunity. As always, you have to wonder what would have happened if we had pitted a lap earlier?

During the race it is not easy to make such decisions, and there is always the possibility of making a mistake, there will always be certain consequences. Still, I think we did an excellent job today. Third and fourth places are a positive result for McLaren because we achieved a lot of points.

But it is clear that Ferrari handled better and their car was faster. Whether we can stay ahead of them or not, we have to admit that their car is more efficient – ​​which means we have to work even harder to reach their level.

Question: What are your expectations for the Suzuka race, which takes place in two weeks? Considering you finished second in Japan a year ago, do you think McLaren can take the next step forward?
Lando Norris: Hardly. I don’t think we even did that bad in Australia last year, even though we had a bad car. We have a good car now and we have shown what we are capable of, but I think McLaren always had high expectations for the weekend in Melbourne.

However, just like Suzuka, these tracks are somewhat similar, both have a fast character. But the problem is that Ferrari was able to significantly increase the top speed, although they had problems with that last year. Therefore, they were able to improve significantly. However, I believe that we will be able to show good results.

If both McLaren cars finish in the top three, we will consider this a very successful weekend. But I think that this year on such circuits we are not only competing with Max, but also with two other Ferrari drivers.

Question: You know Carlos Sainz well, both as a professional and as a person. Do you think it’s fair to say he’s underrated?
Lando Norris: I don’t think there is any reason for this. Those who know him well know what he is capable of. We know the effort he puts in, we know his dedication, he strives to be one of the best, and Carlos proved that today. This is confirmed by the events of the past two weeks.

Those who know his abilities would never say he is underestimated. It’s stupid to underestimate him. I’m willing to say that Carlos probably took it to a higher level this year than last season.

Question: I would also like to ask: do you sympathize with Oscar, who also had the opportunity to be on stage today?
Lando Norris: It all depends on how you look at it. I was much faster and still could have beaten him. I just don’t want to drag this process out for too long. The longer I rode behind him, the worse my chances would be of overtaking Charles and staying ahead. Oscar made my job easier and thus helped the whole team, and for that I am very grateful. In situations like this we show each other a lot of respect.

While I agree, every driver wants to get on the podium at his home track, where the stands are filled with his fellow countrymen. But in any case, I don’t think the outcome of today’s race could have been different.