Lando Norris has candidly revealed that the 2021 Russian Grand Prix was the most challenging race for him to overcome in his career. It comes as no surprise that Norris was referring to the dramatic race in Sochi, where he came tantalizingly close to his maiden Formula 1 victory before rain intervened.
During the race, Norris, who was leading at the time, believed the track had sufficient grip to continue on slick tires. However, his decision proved costly as he aquaplaned off the track, allowing Lewis Hamilton, who had opted for intermediate tires, to overtake and claim the victory. Norris eventually finished in seventh place after pitting for intermediate tires.
The disappointment of the Russian Grand Prix was evident as Norris was visibly distraught after the race. Two years later, it remains a moment that still lingers with him.
When discussing how he copes with disappointment, Norris specifically mentioned the race in Sochi during an interview on the Sky Sports F1 podcast. He highlighted that the duration it takes to recover from a setback depends on the cause of the result.
“It depends a little bit on the reason for the result,” Norris explained. “If it’s definitely through my own doing, [it will take] a lot longer to get over. If it’s my mistake, whether I crash or I spin or get a penalty, if it’s 100% down to me, even say 50% down to me, it’s a lot worse than if it’s just because we don’t have the pace in the car, things like that. So it depends a lot on the situation we’re in.”
