Lando Norris admitted to being surprised but satisfied after finishing ahead of title rival Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having started his race well down the order relative to the Red Bull driver.
After qualifying 17th following a botched Q1 session, Norris launched his race from P15, having gained two spots on the grid as a result of Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly opting for pitlane starts.
While he expected to endure a challenging afternoon in F1’s midfield, Norris had progressed into the top ten after just eight laps, the McLaren driver relying on a long opening stint on the hard tyre during which he caught and overhauled Verstappen.
However, Alex Albon proved a hard nut to crack for the Briton who had to wait until lap 31 and the Williams driver’s pitstop to gain access to P5 and to some clean air.
Norris lost a spot to Mercedes’ George Russell and to Verstappen following his switch to the medium rubber but he eventually reeled in his championship opponent once again to conclude his day fourth in the pecking, just one position ahead of Verstappen with both drivers benefitting from the late retirements of Carlos Sainz and Sergio Piastri following their dramatic run.
"I don't think we could have asked for a lot more today," commented Norris who also clinched the bonus point for fastest lap helped reduce his deficit to Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings to 59 points.
“We would have been happy with eighth, as we just expected the top four teams to go, with me being the eighth car.
"A good start, good strategy. I mean, I would have loved to have got past Alex a bit earlier. He made my life tough.
“As soon as Alex boxed, I think my pace was the best on track, even on the hards from the beginning of the race, and I managed to create a good gap and just unlock all the potential that the car had.
"The car was flying, which almost made me more annoyed about yesterday and how silly that yellow flag was."
Norris admitted he was surprised to finish ahead of Verstappen.
"A little bit surprised,” he said. "When you start 15th, you don't really expect to beat him.
“I was about 20-22 seconds behind on real terms where they were. But to create a gap ahead of him and then to box and to still overtake him, I wasn't expecting that probably."
The race wasn’t just about Norris’s own performance, as he also played a crucial role in helping his teammate Piastri secure his win.
Earlier in the event, Norris was asked by his team to produce an extra effort to keep Sergio Perez behind in a bid to help Piastri achieve a clean overcut on the Red Bull driver, which he did when the Aussie pitted two laps later.
"At that point I was still kind of stuck behind Alex, so I couldn't do a lot," Norris told Sky Sports F1.
"I didn't slow down, I just saved my tyres a little bit more as they were overheating a little bit.
"It allowed Oscar to stay ahead and potentially get the win today, so I'm happy to know I played a small part in that, and for us as a team, that's what we need to do.
"I don't think that changed the outcome [for me], but it changed the outcome for Oscar, and that was the most important thing.
"That was my job out there today, to help Oscar out and to come away with a first and a fourth was perfect."
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