Inside Norris's Tactical Mind: Importance Of Choosing Right Battles

Sunday, 07 January 2024 at 12:00

Lando Norris believes one of the racing aspects he improved during the last season has been tactically choosing the right battles.

Fans who are new to F1 are often surprised that not all drivers compete against each other. Not all drivers will, for example, defend Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc even when starting ahead of them in the race.

This phenomenon was most obvious with the triple World Champion in 2023. Even when he started in ninth place, nobody defended him or tried to keep him behind.

The reason was everybody knew he had a faster car and would overtake them eventually. By defending the Dutchman, other drivers would only lose more time and damage their tires, giving advantage to their rivals.

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But this does not happen only with Verstappen. In every single race, drivers have to pick their battles carefully so that they ensure the best possible position at the end of the race. Lando Norris told motorsport.com:

"I think one of those areas where I’ve done a good job this year is by reading the situations that I’m in, knowing who I’m racing against and who I’m not."

During the United States Grand Prix, Norris found himself ahead of Verstappen for a moment. Some fans believed he could defend the Dutchman, but Norris didn't and just let him pass.

"There’s no point ruining the longevity of your race trying to race one person that has a 99% chance of beating you because he’s in a quicker car."

On the other hand, the 24-year-old tried to defend Lewis Hamilton when the Mercedes driver caught up six laps before the end of the race. Although he lost the battle, he suggested it made much more sense compared to Verstappen as he added:

"If I’d raced Max, I would have used a lot more tires because he was a lot quicker. I only would have hurt my ability to extend a stint or only compromised my own race more than benefitted it.