Lando Norris says he is “ready for the next challenge” after his disappointment at losing victory at the Russian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver led for the majority of the race in Sochi but a decision to stay out on slicks during a downpour in the closing laps resulted in a lowly seventh place finish.
Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Turkey, Norris has regrouped revealing how he spent the few days after Sunday.
“It has,” he told Formula1.com on if the “heartbreak” had faded. “I’m better now and ready for the next challenge.
“I had Monday off to get over it myself and then was already in McLaren on Tuesday and spent a lot of time with my engineers, our whole group, going through everything with a bit more clarity the decisions we made.”
Head high, my time will come pic.twitter.com/Z7YUm7w8BD
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) September 27, 2021
It is often said in F1 that the bad days are more beneficial for long-term gains than the good ones, and, reflecting on Sochi, Norris fully agrees.
“It’s not just something people say, it definitely is true,” he insisted. “You do learn probably more from the hard moments. You always learn things. Even if you win a race, you can learn things.
“When you have to make these split-second decisions – when it’s not an easy decision, and you need so many different factors involved – there is a lot of things you can learn.
“I feel like I have a long career in F1, so it’s nice in a way to get it out early,” he added. “When these things arise in the future, or in my future years in F1, I’ll be able to react better.”
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The outpouring of support was huge for Norris after the race, but he admits the post-race consolation from Lewis Hamilton felt more significant.
“I got quite a few messages and not necessarily from drivers,” he said. “Obviously everyone within McLaren and a lot of people even from different sports.
“But coming from Lewis, who was the guy I watched growing up, to hear what he had to say because he’s been through many scenarios, probably even worse in some cases.
“I guess in my way it feels worse because it’s that first win that you just really want to get.
“Many drivers said I did a good job and my time will come. But when it’s from someone you’ve looked up to and you know has been through it, it definitely means that bit more.”
