“You had a fast car 7 years ago”: Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton share awkward post-race exchange in the cool down room

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton had an awkward cool-down room conversation after finishing on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium. Norris, who was visibly unhappy with the race's outcome, failed to differentiate a compliment coming from his compatriot Hamilton about their MCL38.

McLaren had a magnificent race at Hungaroring, as they claimed their first 1-2 finish since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. However, the celebration was subdued after the Papayas used team orders to re-establish the race lead.

McLaren asked Norris to concede the position to Oscar Piastri after their strategy to cover Hamilton backfired. As Norris let Piastri pass him to allow the Australian to take his first-ever F1 race win, the decision left a cloud hanging over the celebrations.

As Piastri, Norris, and Hamilton came home in the top three places, they met inside the cool-down room where Norris and Hamilton got involved in a short conversation. Hamilton began the exchange, saying:

“Phew! You guys are fast"

Replying to this, Norris said:

“You had a fast car seven years ago...”

To this, Hamilton replied:

“Seven years ago? long time. Were you here seven years ago?”

Failing to understand the compliment, Norris added:

“You had a quick car, and now it’s us.”

Attempting to clear the confusion, Hamilton stated:

“I wasn't complaining, I was complimenting your car.”

Interestingly, Lando Norris was speaking about seven years ago when Mercedes had the fastest cars at Hungaroring. However, it was Ferrari who took the 1-2 at Hungaroring that year with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

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Emotional Lando Norris justified his move as he lost the race win

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after the Hungarian GP (Image via Getty)

With three laps to go, Lando Norris was on his way to secure his second Grand Prix win. However, he decided to fall back, let Oscar Piastri pass, and hand him the race win. While it was tough for him to digest, he justified the decision after the race.

"I know what Oscar’s done for me in the past," Norris said in the post race interview. "I got told to let him past and I did. it’s always tough when you’re fighting for a win and a win means so much to me and also to him. I just had to try and put myself in his shoes.”

With a maximum of 43 points in their tally, McLaren have overtaken Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship. They currently have 338 points after 13 races, compared to Ferrari's 320 points. Red Bull continue to lead the championship with 389 points.