Formula 1 upholds the customary tradition of conducting press conferences. In a recent interaction with some reporters, Lando Norris stood up for a reporter after she was subjected to a condescending comment during the ongoing Austrian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver arrived to be interviewed in the paddock and this was the time the incident took place.
Soon after the British driver praised Mari Becker who hails from Brazil, one of her counterparts called Norris ‘a liar’ for his take.
Becker was asking questions to the 23-year-old, and it was about the possibility of McLaren upgrades being a game changer. Hearing the question, Norris praised her and said that she was the one who asks good questions.
As soon as the McLaren star was finished with his praise, the other reporter said, “You are a hell of a liar.” The shocked McLaren driver didn’t only defend himself quickly but gave a befitting reply.
Lando Norris showed great defense
The young British driver came out of his shy nature and decided to take a stand, and subsequently, the reporter with him as seen in a video released by Esporte Na Band on Twitter.
Praising Becker, Norris said, “Yeah, good question, you ask the best question here. Well done.” It is believed the McLaren star’s praise was too much for her co-worker to take and hence the dig followed in.
Lando Norris elogiou a Mari Becker e deu uma jantada básica no repórter fofoqueiro que entrou no papo sem ser convidado
Se eu o chamei um dia de Johnny Hebert que faz memes, não era eu. pic.twitter.com/rO1NF19aVL
— F1 Fanático (@of1fanatico) June 29, 2023
As the 23-year-old took on his defense, Becker spoke up to say, “Why? This isn’t true at all,” after Norris stated, “I’m not” to clarify that he was not lying. Following this, the young Briton decided to land the ultimate weapon with “Who are you?”
The situation might have cooled down but, the question about McLaren’s upgrades still remains unquestioned. McLaren have been struggling this season and are P6 currently with just 17 points after 8 races.
Is McLaren bringing on upgrades?
As per reports, the Woking-based team has brought major upgrades for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix. After being a straggler for quite some time, it’s finally time for some monumental overhaul.
McLaren reportedly arrived at Red Bull Ring with reshaped sidepod, making this a “milestone” in upgrades as per the team principal Andrea Stella and echoed by Lando Norris.
Ready for a Spielberg blockbuster. 🍿🇦🇹
It’s not only the #AustrianGP… but also an #F1Sprint weekend! BRING. IT. ON! 👊 pic.twitter.com/fXqESwYwZQ
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 29, 2023
However, the availability of only one Free Practice will limit the potential to extract the best performance and have the best settings for the time being.
Admittedly, this was the same reason why Fernando Alonso asked Aston Martin not to bring many upgrades to the AMR23 in Austria. However, if the upgrades work as they are expected, it will work wonders for McLaren and they might be back in the race for a top 4 finish. It’ll be interesting to see if the British team adheres to their star driver.
