“George Russell would’ve gotten me”: Lando Norris reflects on his ‘lucky’ Chinese Grand Prix podium finish 

McLaren driver Lando Norris said he was lucky to finish P2 at the end of the Chinese Grand Prix as he believed that Mercedes driver George Russell would have gotten him with an extra lap. It was a decent result for Norris, who started the race from P3 behind his fellow countrymen and friend Russell.

Despite starting behind Russell, Norris was able to make the move early on, heading into Turn two to get on the gearbox of his teammate Oscar Piastri. The five-time F1 race winner never really had the same pace as his teammate on the track to challenge for a second victory of the year in China on Sunday.

On the other hand, Norris also found himself under pressure from the Mercedes driver Russell in the final few laps of the race due to his struggle with his brake pedal, which forced him to drive slowly to nurse the issue.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Lando Norris believed that he was "lucky" to finish in P2 and said:

"[Russell] would have got me [on the next lap]. I was lucky. Lucky to finish the race today and that's not something you want to be saying. Brakes are something you hate but something you really do need and it can save your life."

"Sketchy last couple of laps because the brakes were getting worse and worse every lap. and the last couple of laps I'm three or four seconds off. So quite nervous."

Norris's P2 finish at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix helped him extend his championship lead from Max Verstappen to eight points.

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Lando Norris analyzes his P2 finish at the Chinese GP

McLaren driver Lando Norris said that he had fun moments in the main race on Sunday and the initial overtake on George Russell at the beginning was part of his "plan".

Speaking in his post-race interview with F1TV, the Brit reflected on his outing at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday and said:

"A few fun moments. The start, I was hoping for exactly that, so Turn One went to plan. Then George got me on the pit stops. I was a little bit nervous but our pace was a lot better in the second stint. So a tough race just with the management. I don't think many people expected a one-stop today so it was good and Oscar drove well, he was quick the whole race."

Further praising his teammate's performance, Norris felt it was overall a good result for McLaren.

"Tried to get close but in the end just couldn't. He deserved the win and drove very well all weekend. I'm happy with second, it's good points and great points for us as a team with a one-two. Just how we wanted the race to go."

Lando Norris currently has 44 points from two races and is followed by Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri, who are all within a point of each other in the standings.