Norris avoided 'taking any risks' against much quicker Hamilton

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Lando Norris says there was no point in him trying to defend his fifth-place position against Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of Saturday's sprint race in Sao Paulo given the Mercedes driver's significantly superior pace.

From seventh on the grid, the McLaren driver gained two spots to position himself among the top five with the chequered flag in sight.

But a charging Hamilton, who had started last, caught up with Norris on the ultimate lap and cleanly overtook the McLaren into the first corner.

Read also - Sao Paulo GP: Saturday's action in pictures

"There was no need to take any risks," said Norris. "There would be no loss of doing it. It was better that I conceded the position than have anything happen.

"When I had to defend, I defended; when I had to attack, my attacking was good. He [Hamilton] was like two seconds a lap quicker than us, so it was easy for him.

"No point in wasting any of my tyres trying to keep this guy behind me. If he's gone from last to fifth in 24 laps, he should have three wheels on his car to make it a bit harder for him!

"On the last lap I did not need to over-defend with Lewis. But of course, with the Ferrari I took quite a bit of risks. I did what I had to do. A good day for us."

In the context of McLaren's battle against Ferrari in the Constructors' standings, Norris was happy to have outperformed at least one member of the Scuderia – Charles Leclerc, which bodes well for Sunday's race.

"We’ve given ourselves the best opportunity to score some big points tomorrow," added the Briton.

"There were some positives and negatives from today in terms of how the car was and how confident I was pushing the car.

"We’ll try to make improvements overnight and see if we can come out even stronger tomorrow. We did everything we could.

"Even though we didn’t quite have the pace of the Ferraris, we still managed to get ahead of one of them. We’ll try even harder tomorrow."

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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.