McLaren’s Lando Norris Clinches First Career Sprint Win After Team Orders in Brazil

2 November 2024

McLaren's Lando Norris on track

MCLAREN’s Lando Norris received his first career Sprint Race victory in Sao Paulo after teammate Oscar Piastri was instructed to swap positions. Piastri finished second, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen following in third.

After the race, a grateful Norris expressed appreciation for Piastri’s teamwork, saying, "We worked well as a team together. I thank Oscar; today was the result we wanted."

Piastri initially controlled the race, starting from pole and keeping Norris behind for most of the session. At one point, he was asked to slow his pace to allow Norris within DRS range. On lap 22 of 24, Piastri was instructed to relinquish the lead to aid Norris in his championship fight, earning the Brit a few crucial extra points.

“Oscar deserved [to win] but we do what we have to do, and I thank him and the team. We had great pace, so looking forward to qualifying and the race tomorrow,” said an appreciative Norris.

Norris’ win added eight points to his championship tally, taking him to 323 points, inching closer to Verstappen’s 368. However, with more points on offer in tomorrow’s Grand Prix, the title race remains open.

Reflecting on the race, Piastri took the team order in stride, saying, "It was a great day for the team and a lot of points." The McLaren duo’s one-two finish extended their lead in the Constructors’ Championship to 566 points, with Ferrari trailing on 537 and Red Bull on 512.

Looking ahead to qualifying, Piastri shared his optimism, "I think we learned a lot for the race tomorrow as well. We have a few things we want to try and improve a bit for qualifying this afternoon, but I think we’re in decent shape."

Championship leader Max Verstappen, who started fourth, managed to overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who began in third, making his move on lap 18. Verstappen reflected on his race, noting, "It was quite a tricky race, but I think the pace was pretty good. I’m quite pleased with that, though it took a bit too long [passing] Charles. Whenever you’re in a DRS train, it’s very hard to attack, so I had to wait for some mistakes, and thankfully, they came."

Further back, Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton finished where he started in 11th after a challenging start saw him lose three places, which he later fought to regain, thrilling the crowd. However, the seven-time world champion described it as “a terrible race” and acknowledged the need for significant improvements, saying, "It felt really terrible today, definitely a very difficult race. Lots of work to do to flip it on its head for qualifying."

With the Sprint Race complete, teams and drivers now prepare for the second qualifying session of the weekend, which will determine the starting order for the Grand Prix on Sunday, 3rd November.