F1 | Styrian GP | A “straightforward race” for Norris allows McLaren to keep their hands on third place in the Constructors’ Championship
After flying during Saturday’s qualifying session, Lando Norris managed to convert his strong weekend into a fifth-place finish, directly ahead of former-teammate and direct-opponent Sainz.
Lando Norris converted his outstanding qualifying performance into a comfortable fifth place, which was the best possible given McLaren’s race pace.
“A good race, quite straightforward,” commented the young Briton after the race, “there wasn’t too much going on from my side, but that was also a good thing”.
No wonder @LandoNorris is smiling 😃#F1 @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/KyqS8kUEkV
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 27, 2021
Starting from the second row due to Bottas’ three-place grid penalty, in the initial laps, Norris tried to stay ahead of Perez and Bottas himself. However, a few rounds into the GP, he let them come past thus focusing on his real battle i.e., making sure to finish ahead of McLaren’s championship rivals
“We weren’t under too much pressure from the cars behind, and the cars in front of us were too far ahead, which we expected,” Norris commented.
“We can be happy – P5 is still a very good result for us. Hopefully, we can come back and do the same again next week.”
Well executed drive, @LandoNorris. 👏
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 27, 2021
🔟 more points, good momentum and it keeps us 3rd in Constructors' Championship standings.#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/DJR23Xd2Ty
Norris did achieve his goal by finishing seven seconds ahead of former teammate Carlos Sainz. His task was also made a little easier by the Ferrari driver’s late stint being interrupted by getting stuck behind Hamilton. When Sainz unlapped himself, it was too late to even try closing the gap to Norris, who currently sits at 86 points in the Drivers' standings.
