“Try racing in 19th and 20th, he’s never done that in his life": When Lando Norris took a playful dig at Lewis Hamilton

Lando Norris took a playful dig at Lewis Hamilton after the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix as the latter expressed his frustration about not being able to compete for wins. Norris finished the race in second place, ahead of Hamilton who ended up fourth despite starting in pole position.

Hamilton secured an unexpected pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a poor run of results in previous races. However, the Briton was unable to secure a podium finish by the end of the race on Sunday. He was pipped by Max Verstappen, who claimed the win, a common sight during the 2023 season.

Norris, in his much improved McLaren, also managed to make it past Hamilton, eventually finishing second. Sergio Perez in his Red Bull rounded off the podium positions, meaning Hamilton ended up just outside in fourth place.

Norris could not help but take a subtle dig at his fellow countryman after the race, as he shared his thoughts about a comment Hamilton had made the previous day.

After securing the pole on Saturday, Hamilton mentioned that the 2023 season had been tough as he couldn't compete for poles and wins regularly. Norris said in response:

“Yesterday, Lewis complained of how tough it was finishing outside first position. Try racing in 19th and 20th. He’s never done that in his life. So that's the only thing that Lewis hasn't done in Formula 1,” Norris mentioned in the post-race presser [via Crash.net]

Norris' comment was tongue-in-cheek but Hamilton did struggle with not being able to compete for victories for a long period.

Hamilton did not win even a single F1 race during the 2022 and 2023 seasons amid a period of struggles for Mercedes. He claimed his 104th career win in the 2024 British Grand Prix, in front of his home crowd, after over two years of not being able to stand on the top step of the podium.

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"They don't have a bad car": Lando Norris doubled down on his Lewis Hamilton dig

Lando Norris at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

During the post-race press conference of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris also took a sly dig at Lewis Hamilton's claim that the McLaren was fast and the Mercedes car was slow. He mentioned that the Silver Arrows were not slow at all.

Norris disregarded Hamilton's words about the Mercedes' performance during the 2023 season, even claiming that the car had been quick throughout the season. He said:

“Mercedes were on pole here last year, and their car has been pretty good. I know Lewis complains a lot of how amazing our car is and how bad theirs is, but they don't have a bad car. And they haven't all season,” added Norris [via Crash.net]

Since the 2023 season, McLaren has taken the next step, becoming the quickest package during the 2024 season and even clinching the Constructors' title. Mercedes was the fourth-quickest team on the grid in 2024 with 468 points in total.