“It was amazing,” Norris reflected after jumping out of the car. “A tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps were a little bit stressful, but an amazing way to start the year.
“A tough one because we went off, made some big mistakes and went through the gravel and did a lot of damage. It was just tricky conditions, but these are the ones that are enjoyable and fun and unpredictable, but this time we got it right and we ended up on top, so I’m very happy.”
Asked about how he had managed to remain calm throughout the 57-lap encounter – which featured numerous crashes and Safety Car appearances – Norris responded: “We got it wrong a lot last year so I guess we learn from our mistakes.
“We lost out on Silverstone and Canada through a race like this, so we’ve learned from our mistakes. It’s still only Round 1 of 24, but dealing with the pressure, dealing with Max, dealing with Oscar behind me, I was pushing the whole way. I could relax inside but I wasn’t relaxing from how much I was pushing. A tough one.
“To not make overly too many mistakes, to not have a mistake that cost me anything, I guess I can take a little bit of credit for that. A tough, challenging race but for McLaren, I need to give thanks because they have given me an amazing car.”
