No regrets for Norris despite failed McLaren gamble

McLaren's Lando Norris says his team was right to bring him in for a second pitstop under the VSC in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix although the decision allowed him to be overhauled by team mate Carlos Sainz.

Norris was running seventh behind Racing Point's Sergio Perez with 13 laps to go when McLaren called the rookie in under the VSC for a fresh set of soft tyres in a bid to take the fight to Perez in the closing stages of the race.

The tactic failed unfortunately, but despite personally losing out, Norris said his was happy with the outcome for his team.

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"As a team we didn’t win or lose points from where we were before I stopped," said the 19-year-old.

"We just wanted to see if we could have a bigger advantage over Checo [Perez] to get ahead because we didn’t have the straight-line speed to pass him.

"We just tried something a bit different. And it wasn’t a win or a loss in the end, we just swapped positions, basically. So I’m happy with a seventh and eighth, it’s good points for the team."

Norris insisted the call to box had actually been a team and driver decision.

"It was both. I boxed to overtake so if he boxed I wouldn’t have boxed, and vice versa," he said.

"I could have easily said no I don’t think you’re right, or stay out, but just a chance to do something different, just something we tried, I believed in their decision.

"I agreed with it and boxed, so I’m fine with the decision. It was a team decision. It just didn’t work out how I wanted to."

The closing stages of Norris' race weren't without worries for the McLaren driver who feared the consequences of a big hit with the wall.

"I had a few wall hits," he told Motorsport.com.

"I had one three or four laps from the end, which I got pretty nervous about, because it was quite a big hit. But I managed to hang on, the car was all fine, thankfully.

"It’s not an easy track to not ever make a big mistake that costs us in a big way. I have made some here and there, but nothing which cost us position or points."

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