Lando Norris shut down Lewis Hamilton as he raved about McLaren’s car after Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Norris finished ahead of Hamilton in P2 as both Brits made the podium in their home race, and the latter was in awe of the 23-year-old’s pace as he defended his position.
Norris led in the opening stages of the race after making a better start than pole-sitter Max Verstappen.
But the dominant Dutchman sealed Red Bull’s 11th consecutive race win, and his sixth on the bounce, to extend his lead in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship.
It left Norris fending off Hamilton, who profited from a Safety Car after Kevin Magnussen’s Haas set alight to gain four places on rivals who had already pitted.
He beat the seven-time world champion to clinch his first podium at Silverstone to round off a successful weekend for McLaren, with team-mate Oscar Piastri finishing in P4.
And as he discussed the race with Verstappen in the cool-down room after the race, Hamilton entered the fray with loud praise of the car that had just pipped him to the chequered flag.
After placing his helmet down with a bright smile on his face, Hamilton approached the duo in conversation, saying: “What a rocketship.”
Norris was quick to shut the 38-year-old down as he repeatedly wowed in disbelief, replying: “Alright mate, relax.”
Despite picking up 18 points for McLaren, pleasing the British crowd, Norris was intent on remaining humble in victory over the veteran.
Hamilton hailed his former team in his post-race interview, too, admitting his Mercedes couldn’t match their pace.
“Big congratulations to Lando and McLaren. It was where I first started, so to see them back up there looking so strong [was good],” Hamilton told F1.
“That thing was rapid through the high-speed corners. Wow. I couldn’t keep up, but we had a good little battle on the restart.”
Norris explained he enjoyed his ‘amazing’ race with Hamilton in his post-match interview and praised McLaren for a memorable weekend.
He said: “Pretty insane. Thanks to the whole team, they have done an amazing job. None of this would be possible without their hard work.”
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