WATCH: Lando Norris reveals he was keen to avoid team order and win Hungarian Grand Prix

McLaren driver Lando Norris recently shared insights into his internal conflict during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he was ordered to surrender the lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri. The race saw Norris leading in the closing stages due to a strategic pit-stop decision, a lead he was asked to relinquish in favour of Piastri. Reflecting on this, Norris described the situation as "pretty crazy."

Throughout the race, Norris had been ahead due to McLaren's pit strategy, but as the final 17 laps approached, the team increasingly urged him to give up his position to Piastri, who had led most of the race. Despite the persistent and urgent calls from his team, Norris held on to the lead until three laps remained, eventually conceding the position with evident reluctance.

Here is the video:

"I put myself in his shoes... I had to do what was right" 🧡



A bittersweet P2 for Lando Norris after surrendering the win to team mate Oscar Piastri#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/ApwgJoKaG4

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024

Norris candidly admitted that obeying the team's orders was incredibly challenging. “Things are always going to go through your mind because, you know, you’ve got to be selfish in this sport at times,” he remarked. “You’ve got to think of yourself. That’s priority No. 1, think of yourself. I’m also a team player, so my mind was going pretty crazy at the time.”

“It’s not my fault that I was leading”, says Lando Norris

As the second-placed driver in the world championship standings behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Norris is a legitimate title contender this season. This added another layer of complexity to his decision-making process during the race.

He admitted that he seriously considered ignoring the team's instructions, given the importance of every point in the championship battle. “When you’re thinking of the seven or six points that I give away, then … it crosses your mind. So, it was not easy,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re in that position to give it back because you’re there and of course that went through my mind.”

Also Watch: Max Verstappen collides with Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix

In the tense finale, Norris ultimately complied with the orders but not without a degree of defiance. “I know what I’m going to do and what I’m not going to do. Of course, I’m going to just question it and challenge it and that’s what I did," he stated.

He emphasized that while he complied in the end, the situation could have been managed better by the team. “I was put in this situation and it’s not my fault that I was leading the race in a way. The team should have just boxed Oscar Piastri first and we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. As a team, maybe we could have done things slightly differently.”