Lando Norris said he was “not proud” of his Sprint race win in Brazil, which was given to him by his teammate Oscar Piastri. However, Mark Webber believes that this “charity victory” is just a part of the sport.
Heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Norris was 47 points behind Max Verstappen in the 2024 F1 World Championship. By the end of Saturday’s Sprint, he had reduced the gap to 44 points.
Although Norris was the fastest in the first two sessions of Sprint qualifying, it was Piastri who took pole position by just 0.029 seconds. McLaren was clear about their intentions for the Sprint, with Piastri confirming that he would give the win to Norris if it came down to it.
“I’ve said I would from when we first had these discussions,” Piastri said. “It would be nice to win, but it’s one point different and it’s not the main race, so we’ll see.”
Piastri led at the start and even started to pull away from Norris. But after being asked to help Norris by giving him DRS assistance to defend against Charles Leclerc and Verstappen, Piastri obeyed the team orders.
When Verstappen overtook Leclerc and a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was called for Nico Hulkenberg’s stranded car, McLaren made the decision to have the two drivers swap positions. Norris crossed the line to win, with Piastri in second place. Verstappen was penalized for a VSC violation and dropped to fourth, behind Leclerc.
Norris admitted after the race, “Oscar drove well and he deserved to win. I’m not proud of winning a Sprint race – or any race – like this, so I thank Oscar and the team. But that’s our objective. It’s what we have to work towards as a team. We get the points in the Constructors’ and I get the points in the Drivers’ and that’s our target.”
Webber, who manages Piastri, said it was a tough decision for the young driver but the right one for the team. “It’s always tricky when you get the phone call from the team, right?
Like you’ve got to start moving things around,” Webber explained to Channel 4. “So of course, Oscar down to Turn 4, lifts out of the throttle, gives Lando the victory, and tries to maximize his chance to get back into this fight. Obviously, every point counts for him.”
Webber praised Piastri for being generous in giving up the position and acknowledged the importance of the result for McLaren, helping them to a one-two finish.
“Oscar was magnanimous in giving that position up, and then also for the championship, it helps them get the one-two. Of course, that’s crucial for McLaren as well. So the result was good for the team and great for Lando.”
Webber went on to call the Sprint a “cracker little race” but added, “Obviously with Lando having to get a little bit of a charity victory, it’s all part of the sport.”
However, Norris’ championship hopes took a major hit in the Grand Prix itself. Despite starting from pole position, he finished in sixth place, while Verstappen made an incredible recovery, racing from 17th on the grid to win the race.
Verstappen extended his lead in the standings to 62 points with only 86 points still available. Meanwhile, McLaren continues to lead the Constructors’ Championship with 593 points. Ferrari is in second place, 36 points behind, and Red Bull is in third, another 13 points behind Ferrari.
