McLaren's Norris explains cause of Styrian GP chest pain

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McLaren's Lando Norris says the back and chest pain he endured during the Styrian Grand Prix weekend was caused by "bruising" attributed to his prolonged absence from racing.

Norris complained of the physical pain in Friday's free practice in Austria and was given an acceptable dose of pain killers to deal with the trouble for the remainder of the race weekend.

However, the 20-year-old felt compelled to get a proper diagnostic of the problem, which meant a round-trip to the UK ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix to visit a specialist.

"I’m feeling better for this week which is a very good thing, I went back to the UK in the last few days in my bubble to go and see specialists and get scans and so on," explained Norris.

"We’ve diagnosed for the most part what the problem was and I’m feeling better.

"It’s not something that’s going to go completely or heal overnight but I’m much better than what I was for last weekend – hard to know until I’m in the car and increasing to the limit again.

"It’s just bruising from being out of the car for so long basically and then getting back into it and doing a race weekend.

"It wasn’t something I could prepare for or know about until after we did the first weekend and then having a few days off in between.

"It hit my body a few days later and I was just bruised and so on."

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Norris said the amount of muscle he put on during F1's forced hiatus required his McLaren crew to tweak his seating and steering positions, a change that may have also led to the uncomfortable bruising.

"There are a couple things in terms of comfort which I changed after the first weekend for the second weekend that I was much more comfortable with, so a bit of my seating position and steering position," said Norris.

"Again, just for being out of it for so long we did the seat fit and so on before we went back to Austria.

"But having just put on so much muscle over the break I was just a bit out! I just was slightly shaped differently in my seat.

"So I had to change a few pads around and a bit of my position and so on, which could have been a bit of a cause and a bit of a lead for it.

"But it’s too difficult to say the exact reasons of why it’s happened and so on.

"It’s something that over time will just get much better and I will be less prone to getting in the future."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.