'It Wasn't Worth The Risk' Norris Explains Why He Didn't Attack Verstappen For Second Time

McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris explained why he only had one attempt at overtaking Max Verstappen during the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Lando Norris managed to surprise Max Verstappen when he kept pace with the Dutchman after the race restart following the red flag.

The McLaren driver used all his battery and DRS to attack Verstappen into the first corner on the eighth lap of the race. Verstappen went defensive, which compromised his line for the next straight, but held on to his place in the end.

At that point, it seemed like Norris would continue putting pressure on Verstappen, but he dropped back more than one second behind the Dutchman on throughout the rest of the lap. The 23-year-old explained to the media:

Read also

Verstppen's 'Inner Confidence' Prevents Him From Panicking According To Red Bull Team Principal

The fresh tire advantage allowed Norris to go for the overtake at least once, but he could not afford to overheat his tires, breaks, and engine even more with the risk of losing pace.

It was only a "couple of meters" that separated Norris from being able to try the move around the outside into turn 4 on Verstappen when attempted the overtake for the first time. He added:

Norris also added it would have been a great challenge to keep Verstappen behind himself for the rest of the race. However, Fernando Alonso showed it was possible with his defense against Sergio Perez on a faster Red Bull.

Read also

Verstappen's Race Engineer Pokes At Verstappen 'You See How He's Treating Me At The Moment'