Lando Norris says he was "scared" at the start of the USGP

McLaren driver Lando Norris admitted to having feared the chaotic opening laps of the USGP, where he was caught in a tangle with teammate Daniel Ricciardo and the Ferraris. The 21-year-old felt he could have defended better throughout the race but his team did not have the pace to match the Ferraris around the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

The opening laps of the USGP witnessed the two McLarens attacking the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz aggressively into the first few corners. Despite the aggression, only one McLaren, that of Ricciardo, was able to split the Ferraris and pluck fifth place from Sainz. Norris had to fall back and nurse his car home in eighth place.

Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc , Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris on track during the 2021 USGP in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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Lando Norris feels there are several things he could have done better in the race

Speaking to F1’s official website post-race, Norris described the melee in the opening laps, saying:

“I was so scared because, the thing is, it’s such a wide track, I know it was three-abreast, I knew Daniel was on the outside, so I had to be careful. But then I couldn’t brake too late because I knew Charles was just ahead and…I was going to T-bone him if I went in any harder.”

Lamenting on his regret at not being able to get past Sainz, Norris said:

"It was a little bit sketchy. I obviously didn’t pull the move off, so (it was a) bit of a shame."

Norris, after starting seventh on the grid, even lost a place to Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who had surged up from P9 on the grid.

Describing his race, Norris said:

“A long race, a tough one, not a lot we could do really. At times, I thought we had better pace but altogether, considering Charles was 25, 20 seconds ahead or something ahead of Daniel, it shows that they [Ferrari] were again the quicker car today.”

Dismayed at the final result, the Briton said:

“Disappointing, and we couldn’t do anything more but it’s the way it is sometimes.”

Commenting on what could have been done differently, he said:

“I also think there were some areas I could've done better, including defending on some moves.”

On McLaren’s performance in comparison to Ferrari, and looking ahead to the Mexican GP, Norris remarked:

“The start was pretty exciting but we just weren't able to stay ahead of the Ferraris in front. So, not a great day today, but we'll pick ourselves up and look forward to Mexico. I just want to get back in the car already and keep working hard to make some progress in our championship battle.”

The USGP result put McLaren a narrow 3.5 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings. Norris' last race in Mexico saw him retire due to a loosely-fitted wheel. Overall, there were no significant gains made by Ferrari at the USGP, however, a well-balanced chassis helped them keep the McLaren drivers at bay.