Norris: I retract comment that it was all luck and no talent

Saturday, 14 December 2024 at 10:04

Lando Norris withdrew comments he said in the aftermath of the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where he claimed Max Verstappen was lucky to win.

Verstappen won that race, recovering from a grid penalty for taking a new engine as well as a disastrous qualifying, while Norris and McLaren lost the chance to capitalize on the Dutchman's troubles.

The race went on in wet conditions, and Verstappen stormed through the field, conserving his tyres, and going longer than others, Norris in particular, benefiting from a Red flag to get a free tyre change and win the race.

Norris was clearly irked after he lost the chance to close in on Verstappen and said after Brazil that the four-time Formula 1 champion's win was not down to talent but luck.

On Friday, Norris was in Rwanda receiving his FIA trophy for the runner-up position in the 2024 F1 championship, and for some reason he touched on his Brazil statements.

He said: "First of all, I retract that comment back there where I said it was all luck and no talent. You know how the media change things.

"First of all, congratulations to Max. What he did this year, what he did in Brazil, of course, was incredible, so I'm the first one to acknowledge such a thing when I'm the one going up against him.

"It was a tough season, of course. I tried to give my best and put up the best battle that I could, but this year was not enough, and at the same time, sometimes, I am happy to finish second to Max because I think it's quite an achievement to do a lot better than that.

"So a wonderful year for myself. A lot of achievements, a lot of improvement from myself, but I also know I need to step it up and do more than I did this year, so I'm excited to look forward to next year and try to do the same," Norris concluded.

Editor's note:

While Norris must be applauded for admitting what he said about Verstappen in Brazil was wrong, that bit he said about the media was inappropriate.

While we acknowledge that there are some platforms out there that should not be considered as media and survive on false information and clickbait, many more others are not, and it was not fair that Lando said what he did.

His statements in Brazil were clear and well documented, and he was understandably upset, so good on him that he retracted them in the FIA gala, but he shouldn't blame the media for his mistakes. His statement was bound to make headlines.