Lando Norris took a cheeky dig at fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, when asked if he’ll be the top home driver come the chequered flag on Sunday.
Norris was the top British driver last weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, whilst Hamilton was the last after also finishing behind George Russell.
Hamilton would’ve finished ahead of Russell in Spielberg had he not been awarded a 10-second time penalty several hours after the race, for exceeding track limits.
The seven-time World Champion had actually complained about other drivers going beyond the white lines several times during the race, only for it to be him to be penalised.
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Jokingly, Norris admitted ahead of the British GP this weekend that ending the event as the top British driver “depends” on if Hamilton “keeps it within the track limits”.
“It depends if Lewis keeps it within the track limits,” Norris said ahead of the British GP, as reported by The Express.
“I’m hoping for a fight. I think if we can fight with Mercedes we will be happy. I think last weekend Mercedes just had a pretty tough weekend.
“Through the rest of it they’ve been quicker than us in every single race this season in qualifying so if we can race with Mercedes it will be good.
“I want to be confident and say me. I think after FP1, FP2 we will be able to get a good read on where we stand and if it’s close enough to Mercedes, I’m looking forward to Sunday to see who can come out on top.”
Whether Norris is the top British driver come Sunday remains to be seen; however, he is entering the race as the number one home driver after qualifying.
The McLaren driver will start the race at the Silverstone International Circuit from second, following a sensational performance.
Remarkably, rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri secured third on the grid, completing a 2-3 for the Woking-based team.
Norris will start the race on Sunday alongside reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, who claimed a fifth consecutive pole position.
The Briton joked that Verstappen “ruins everything for everyone”, as Norris had been on provisional pole until the Dutchman completed his final lap.
“Close, two-tenths to P1. Pretty insane, my last lap was a good lap. Could hear Zak on the in-lap, best thing ever. To be second and third is pretty amazing for the whole team,” Norris said during his post-qualifying interview.
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“Always Max. He ruins everything for everyone!” Norris joked. “Very special day for us!
“Couldn’t have had a better result today for the whole team apart from Max who ruins everything!”
Russell and Hamilton could only manage sixth and seventh in qualifying.