‘I know what Oscar’s done for me’ – Norris gives his take on ‘tough’ moment he let Piastri past in Hungary

Lando Norris has opened up about what he was thinking when he let Oscar Piastri overtake him for the lead – and race victory – in the latter stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the Briton admitting that, while it was “tough”, he knew he had to “do what was right”.

After Piastri got ahead off the line at the race start, Norris had to settle for P2 during the first phase of the race while his McLaren team mate held a steady lead. However, the picture changed when Norris was pitted first during the second round of pit stops, seemingly to cover off the threat from Lewis Hamilton behind.

READ MORE: Piastri wins Hungarian Grand Prix as Norris belatedly hands back lead in McLaren intra-team drama

This meant that, after Piastri subsequently made his visit to the pits, Norris had become the new race leader. As such, the team asked the latter to “reestablish the order”, but this was something that Norris seemed reluctant to do as the gap remained too large for Piastri to catch up.

Following extensive discussion over the radio, Norris slowed enough for his fellow McLaren driver to pass on Lap 68 of 70, meaning that Piastri led them home in a one-two formation.

Giving his initial thoughts on the result, Norris spoke of his joy at seeing the squad take first and second place, commenting: “[I’m] happy for the team. I don’t know when our last one-two in a race was, but probably over 10 years ago or something!

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Piastri gets your vote after maiden F1 win in Hungary

“Just super happy, I’m happy for Oscar too – I know he won in Qatar [in the Sprint last year], but I think he’ll also say that this win is a lot more than a Sprint win.

"His first proper win, it’s a special moment, so [I’m] happy for him and for the whole team. An incredible weekend for all of us so, yeah, super happy.”

When pushed on just how difficult his decision-making had been regarding the call to let Piastri past, Norris shared an insight into his emotions and how he eventually realised that he should allow his team mate through.

“It’s tough, but I know what Oscar’s done for me in the past,” the 24-year-old conceded. “I think this is a little bit different but, yeah, at the same time I got told to let him past and I did. It’s always tough when you’re fighting for a win, and a win means so much to me and also to him.

MUST-SEE: Old rivals Verstappen and Hamilton touch in fight for P3

“Yeah, I just had to try put myself in his shoes and understand it that way. Every driver’s selfish and you have to be selfish in this game but, when you’re just thinking of your own benefits, you’re only thinking of the good things. But of course, I put myself in his shoes and I realised I had to do what was right.”