Lando Norris makes frank assessment after 'unnecessary' concession

Lando Norris has admitted he "should have done a better job" battling Lewis Hamilton for third place in the closing stages of the Singapore Grand Prix.

The move cost Norris a shot at the podium and opened the door for Kimi Antonelli, who cruised past the McLaren.

The reigning F1 drivers' champion was running third behind Hamilton at the Marina Bay Street Circuit when he attempted to pass the Ferrari driver into Turn 1 on lap 54.

Both cars ran deep, with the Ferrari taking to the run-off area and Norris losing momentum through the corner. Antonelli pounced immediately, surging past on the exit of Turn 3 and never looking back.

The Mercedes driver, on fresher tyres than both Norris and Hamilton, set off after the Ferrari and quickly claimed the position too, with the stewards later confirming no further action was needed regarding Hamilton's off-track excursion, which had initially been noted, as Norris also managed to overtake the following lap.

Norris, who finished fourth, had no answer for Antonelli's pace once the net had been drawn.

"I should have done a better job battling with Lewis," he said to Sky Sports F1 after the 62-lap race. "It was inevitable that I would have passed him at some point; I just didn't need to try to overtake him where I did.

"I braked a bit late and could have still put a good move in, and he would have had to let me pass because he braked way too late."

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A weekend of costly calls

The Turn 1 mistake was not the only questionable decision in Norris's weekend.

On the final lap of the sprint, the Briton lunged down the inside of Oscar Piastri into Turn 5 on a damp track, making contact with his team-mate's right-rear tyre as the gap narrowed and Norris caught the inside kerb.

The stewards investigated but took no further action, ruling that both McLaren drivers had contributed to the incident.

Norris later apologised to the team, and the collision prompted McLaren management to hold internal discussions with both drivers, stressing the championship's priority over individual scraps.

It cost the Woking-based squad eight valuable points, and leaves Red Bull just seven points adrift in the fight for third in the constructors' championship.

Reflecting further on the Hamilton attempt into Turn 1, Norris alluded to the incident in the sprint.

"But it was just a bit unnecessary for me, so just not a good weekend for me in terms of making decisions like that," he said.