Lando Norris admits he’s nonetheless to search out the precise stability between being honest and being aggressive in on-track battles.
Incidents between Norris and Max Verstappen at a number of races this season have come below scrutiny, with the Dutchman usually getting the higher hand in shut wheel-to-wheel fight. Whereas Norris benefitted from Verstappen being penalized twice in Mexico Metropolis, he admits he already needed to change his strategy primarily based on his personal penalty every week earlier at Circuit of the Americas.
“I’ve all the time fought pretty,” Norris stated. “That’s who I’m. That’s who I’m as a racer. That’s my method of driving each day. Possibly generally I’ve misplaced out as a result of I’ve been too honest and never aggressive sufficient. And that’s the place I’ve to discover a higher stability.
“These are the issues, the modifications I’ve stated I’ve needed to change since final weekend and over the course of this yr, that if you’re racing these prime guys, you be taught issues and it’s important to perceive higher these balances of attacking, defending, danger administration, aggression, all of these kinds of issues.
“However for me, I don’t want to fret about them. It’s bought nothing to do with me, in a method. I imply, I’ll do what I can. I’ll race pretty. If he doesn’t, then issues will go like they did [in Mexico]. However I believe he needs to race pretty. I hope he does. I believe he enjoys these moments, too, when it’s a good battle, however all I can do is hold doing what I’m doing. I really feel like I’m doing job and we’ll see what occurs.”
Norris additionally says his opinion of what’s honest and isn’t has developed throughout this season, following a collision with Verstappen in Austria that resulted within the championship chief additionally being handed a 10-second time penalty.
“Austria, nobody ought to have gotten a penalty, I don’t assume. Possibly a few of my views are just a little bit completely different now than what they have been again then. Austria, I don’t assume anybody ought to have gotten a penalty. Austin, I don’t assume anybody ought to have gotten a penalty. Let’s say we each type of did issues flawed.
“I really feel like I used to be made to do one thing flawed, and … nearly all of folks, nearly all of drivers really feel like that was the identical factor. That’s why you’ve heard of among the rule modifications that is likely to be coming and people kinds of issues. It’s as a result of there’s a standard consensus that it wasn’t right what occurred within the end result that I had final weekend.
“(In Mexico), I believe, was one other stage on each of these circumstances. I used to be forward of Max within the braking zone, previous the apex. I’m avoiding crashing. That is the distinction. I can’t converse for him, and perhaps he’ll say one thing completely different.
“However I believe it was a step too removed from each of these, and it was clear that the stewards agreed with that. So I don’t see it as a win or something like this, nevertheless it’s extra that I hope Max acknowledges that he took it a step too far.”
