Norris reveals 'story time' debate after 'shocking' McLaren call

Lando Norris has described a "story time" debate with engineer Will Joseph during his run to victory at the Australian Grand Prix.

The McLaren racer dominated in Melbourne, converting pole in victory, setting the fastest lap and leading all but three laps in the wet and wild grand prix.

Tyre choice was key as rain hit again during the race, with this being an area McLaren failed to follow the motorsport adage of 'be on the right tyre at the right time' at multiple races during the 2024 season which cost Norris victory, most painfully at Silverstone. 

At the time, McLaren adjudged this to be down to poor communication, something Norris revealed was not a problem as he and Joseph engaged in "story time" over the radio at Albert Park.

"We lost out on a few races last year, with guaranteed wins, Silverstone was probably a guaranteed win," he told media including RacingNews365.

"The call we made was a shocking one, and we accepted that, but we knew we had to improve in certain areas, so there's been a lot of work just on trying to make sure we're snappier, that we're better with our communication. 

"To be honest, today, I wouldn't say we were snappy, I felt like I was having story time with Will on the radio, we were talking so much every lap, I might as well have just left my radio open for the whole race. 

"It's just a difficult situation to be in first and not knowing what to do with tyres [during the rain shower], you kind of know someone's going to get it right behind you, because they're just going to gamble something, and it will work out for them.

"I didn't want to lose out to someone in the middle of the pack who would gamble and somehow win the race."