Norris reflects on ‘stressful’ Verstappen test with Hamilton comparison

Lando Norris has revealed how he dealt with the “stressful” pressure he was placed under by Max Verstappen in the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix.

Norris led much of the race around Albert Park which saw multiple drivers spin off the road in difficult wet conditions.

A late-race safety car restart saw Norris come under attack from Verstappen after Norris made a mistake.

The Briton was also dealing with car damage after sliding off the track earlier in the race when rain pelted the circuit.

Verstappen made his final pit stop for wet weather tyres after Norris, who came in when the rain intensity began to increase in the final laps.

With part of the track still dry at the time, Norris knew his tyres would be in worse condition than Verstappen's.

“I knew I was going to struggle a bit because I put the inters on two laps before Max, and with half the track still being dry, I pushed,” Norris told media including RacingNews365.

“Even the high-speed was dry, so I kind of destroyed my tyres a little. 

“I knew Max would be quicker in those last few laps, and I knew he would risk more because there were only a few laps left. I did make a mistake at Turn 6 – I just put a wheel on the gravel and lost all my momentum and drive.

“Max got within DRS, and DRS really helped him stay there. It's tough because it's not just the pressure of him being there, it’s the pressure of knowing that if I put a wheel too close to a white line on entry, I’m off.

“If I clip the kerb wrong in Turn 6, I’m off. If I dip a wheel in the gravel, I get a bad run and he's past. There are so many little things that can go wrong.”

Norris hails McLaren team for crucial coaching

Norris was able to hold on to the position despite the pressure from Verstappen and secured the victory ahead of the Red Bull driver.

It marks the first time in Norris' career that he has led the drivers' championship.

Norris gave credit to the McLaren team for coaching him through the difficult event, pointing to Verstappen's greater experience in such a situation.

“Even Will [Joeseph] came on the radio and told me to chill out a bit,” Norris added.

“He knows, and Jarv, my performance engineer, knows very quickly from my driving when I’m pushing too much or when I’m pushing the entries too much.

“They’re quick to jump in and say, ‘Do this better’ or ‘Watch out for that’ because they know what I struggle with. Especially in a situation like that. That situation was new for me.

“I’ve never led a race with five laps to go with Max behind me, trying to put me under pressure, in these conditions.

“Maybe Max has had that a few times – he’s raced against Lewis a lot and can deal with it better than I can. For me, it was a first. So, it was about seeing how I handled it when I got there.

“I’m happy I got through it and stayed calm. It’s something I improved from last year.”