Norris defends McLaren over near-misses

Lando Norris has defended McLaren after the team missed out on opportunities to win during recent races, with the Briton stating that “a lot of people forget about the good things that we’ve also done”.

Norris – who claimed his first F1 win at the Miami Grand Prix in May – has looked to be in contention for victory at many races since, having finished second in Imola, Canada and Spain.

A late-race collision with Max Verstappen during a battle for the lead forced him to retire in Austria, while strategy mishaps saw Lewis Hamilton take over as the race leader at Silverstone during the final pit stops, with Norris dropping down to third.

Both Norris and McLaren were open about their mistakes after the Grand Prix; Norris stated that he blamed himself for “not making some of the right decisions”, while Team Principal Andrea Stella suggested that the squad had been “greedy” in some of their strategy calls.

However, when asked ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix about how much the team had learned in terms of executing their opportunities when it matters, Norris pointed out that there are lots of positives from how they have performed in the first half of the season.

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 — Norris and team mate Piastri both missed out on victory at the British Grand Prix

“We’ve learned a lot,” the British driver explained. “You’re always going to learn more in these situations than you are when you’re winning and not experiencing these things.

“I’m still happy in a way that we’re experiencing them now and we’re still learning from these things – it’s better than later on when we probably have even more chances to do so. It hurts and I think, those tough times, you’re going to experience at certain times and certain points.

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“I think everyone has talked about it so much because it’s for a race win – it’s not like we’re fighting for a seventh, an eighth, a ninth, like we were last year or even the last five years. We’re talking about race wins, so of course it’s going to mean more and hurt more when you lose, and you’re going to celebrate more when you win.

“But you’re also fighting with the big dogs, and you’re fighting towards the top end and you’re going to pay the price more when those things are not perfect. I’m good, I’m happy with how we’re working as a team and the things we’re doing.

“I feel like a lot of people forget about the good things that we’ve also done – we’ve also been the most consistent team and the best-performing team on average over the last two months, so that should be the headline, not the rest of it.”

Norris 'always loved' Hungaroring as he takes positives from the season so far

In terms of the squad’s prospects at the Hungaroring, Norris is feeling optimistic about what they can achieve.

“I’ve always enjoyed it here, to be honest, since I was much younger,” the 24-year-old said. “I’ve probably been coming here for almost 10 years. I’ve always loved it, nice people, normally good weather!

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“It’s hot, but it’s a fun circuit – it’s quick in these cars and always a good challenge. I think [it’s] typically one I’ve always performed well at.

“[I’m] excited to see what we can do. I think the car’s running well, the team are doing a good job, and another chance for us to try to get the most points we can.”