“I was just as happy to stay in second”– Lando Norris wanted to overtake Daniel Ricciardo, but in the end, love for the team came in between.
This season McLaren is the only team to end up with a P1-2 result, courtesy of a splendid performance by Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris at Monza, which gave them 44 points haul from the entire GP.
During the race, Norris was right behind Ricciardo’s neck, and if he had to do, he could have made him grab the win even more challenging, and Norris for once wanted that but, in the end, was happy serving Ricciardo’s interests.
“Four years ago I joined the team and we’ve always been working towards this and we got a one-two finally. So a good step for us. I’m happy for, of course, Daniel getting the win and me in P2. I’m just happy for the team,” he said.
“I’m not going to lie; my priority is the team. I’m here for the team. I’m here for the long-term and our future; this was the best result we could have,” Norris explained. “There’s always that desire inside to want to go for it.
“I think I had the pace to at least try. I can’t say if I would have got Daniel or not, but I could have tried at least. I just asked the team what do you want me to do. Can I go for it? Can I not?
“And as much as, inside, I wanted to go for it, I was just as happy to stay in second because I’m a team guy, I love the team.”
The best result I could hope for
Norris joined McLaren’s setup when they were at their lowest, and ever since his debut, he has played a pivotal role in his team’s resurgence, making it a team that can fight against the big guns.
“I love them, I’ve grown up with them, in a way,” he said. “So this is the best result I could hope for.”
