Sainz defends 'gentleman' Norris amid 2024 'criticism'

Dec.1 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has jumped to the defence of his former McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Norris’ tussle with Max Verstappen for the world championship ended with the latter’s fourth consecutive title, with many having criticised the McLaren driver’s mistakes and alleged mental weaknesses throughout his 2024 campaign.

The 25-year-old led throughout Saturday’s Qatar sprint race, before pulling over and letting his current teammate Oscar Piastri take the win – to return Piastri’s similar gesture of Brazil.

When asked his opinion about the move, Ferrari’s Sainz said: “They are teammates, so it’s probably a little easier to do that between teammates.

“But the truth is that they did well and they also deserve credit for having given Oscar back his position from Brazil,” the Spaniard added.

“It says a lot about Lando as a driver and as a person, despite the criticism he receives. People like to criticise what he does, but then the guy keeps delivering and is a gentleman on and off the track, so congratulations,” Sainz said.

As the end of the season nears, McLaren is leading the constructors’ championship – but Ferrari is still pushing hard to close the points gap before the final lap in Abu Dhabi.

“We have to focus on seeing how we can get ahead of them on Sunday,” said Sainz, “although we will have to find at least two tenths with the soft tyre.”