Ex-Formula 1 grand prix driver Jolyon Palmer says Lando Norris showcased he was a match for Lewis Hamilton at the Russian Grand Prix last weekend.
Norris led much of the race and was on course for his maiden victory in the sport before heavy rainfall arrived.
The McLaren driver committed to sticking out the last handful of laps on slick tyres, while Hamilton, who had been following Norris for a series of laps, pitted for Intermediates.
Hamilton’s decision proved to be the right one, as Norris was forced to change tyres a handful of laps later due to the torrential rain, ending the race in seventh place.
However, Palmer has commended the 21-year-old for his display while under pressure from Hamilton.
“We all know how strong Hamilton is at driving in wet conditions – more often than not he ends up as the winner,” Palmer wrote on his column for F1.com.
“That ended up being the case once more at a slippery Sochi, but it was only a result of Norris not pitting for the intermediate tyres.
“Like for like in the conditions, Norris proved he was a match for Hamilton in a battle of wits out front, which is enormously impressive from a driver seeking that first win.
“Clearly it was the pit stop which made the difference, and between the top two this was a team decision, rather than a driver decision, which won the race.”
Palmer also brushed away criticism of Norris, who provided a firm ‘NO!’ response over team radio when first questioned about a switch to wet weather tyres.
“There has been some criticism of Norris for being inexperienced or even arrogant in the way he dealt with the final laps – but actually I think Lando drove the optimum race with the information he had available to him.
“It’s a time where drivers need important but concise information from their engineers as they scrabble around with limited grip on the edge of disaster.
“It seemed fundamentally that McLaren didn’t see the weather worsening, and if they did then they had to take control of the situation and order Norris in, even if like Hamilton, it was against his natural instinct from the cockpit.”
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