Norris had mega start in Brazil: ' That was a pleasant surprise'

It took a relatively long time for the red lights to go out, but Lando Norris did not allow himself to be lulled to sleep in Brazil. The Briton had a world-class start with his McLaren and shot straight through to second place from seventh on the grid, behind Max Verstappen. Looking back, it was probably the best start Norris had in his Formula 1 career.

"In terms of position changes, yes, " responded Lando Norris after the race. "In terms of position changes, yes. I don't think it's the quickest one, but it's all relative at the end of the day. It was a pleasant surprise to come out in P2, already after turn 1. I was expecting and we planned a lot for 20 laps in traffic, some overtakes and a bit of fun. I still had fun, but from P2 already."

A day earlier, Norris did take pole for the sprint race. On Saturday, Verstappen immediately took off like a hare, passing Norris before the first corner. "Obviously, that's where I lost out to Max. Not because I had a bad start. I still had one of the best starts on the grid. It's just Max, especially in that second phase, was
extremely strong. It just comes and goes. Today, we did some homework on it and tried to get everything in a better window and it all paid off. Yes, a good surprise and a good step up from yesterday," Norris concluded.

The McLaren Briton eventually grabbed his seventh podium finish of the season, six of which were second-place finishes. Only in Singapore, it was not Max Verstappen who kept him from that very first win of his F1 career.