Lando Norris has insisted he is not wishing bad luck on McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in their Formula 1 title fight, despite his retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris was all but certain to come home in second behind Piastri at Zandvoort when an oil leak caused his McLaren to go into shutdown mode with seven laps to go.
The Briton’s second non-score this season put a huge dent in his championship ambitions as Piastri now enters the remaining nine rounds with a 34-point advantage.
But while he has the strongest package at his disposal, the competitive edge that McLaren upholds will minimise the gains Norris can make under normal conditions.
Heading into this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, though, Norris remains optimistic that he can still beat Piastri without an incident that evens out his DNF last weekend.
“I can still win the championship without anything happening and that’s the way I wish to do it,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.
“It would certainly make my life easier if there were just some more drivers in between every now and then.
“The thing is, we’re so dominant as a team that it almost makes my life harder. So, that’s really the most frustrating part of it all.”
Norris not relying on misfortune striking Piastri
However, Norris has denied that he is holding out internal hope that his team-mate encounters his own setback through misfortune to close the gap between the two.
“No, because in the end, if he’s done a better job, I give credit to him and I say he’s done a better job,” he retorted.
“That’s just how I am. I don’t wish it [upon him].
“May the best driver win, and if that’s the case at the end of the season then I’ll respect that.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris won’t dwell on Dutch GP DNF even if it costs him maiden F1 championship
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