The day ended on a good note for McLaren. With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starting tomorrow’s race from the front row, the ‘Papayas’ are aiming to win. The Woking-based team acquired a 1-2 start back in 2012 with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button as their drivers. And now, 12 years later, the Norris-Piastri duo is going to lead the 2024 Hungarian GP. Meanwhile, Red Bull had a disastrous qualifying (minus Max Verstappen). Their struggles are so visible that now their winning titles this season are being questioned.

Amidst the excitement and preparations for the main race, Lando Norris seems slightly skeptical. Recalling a terrible blast from the past, the Brit doesn’t want a repeat telecast of the 2021 Hungarian GP. He fears that with Max tailing behind him to snatch the lead, another disaster could happen. And, as expected, both drivers wouldn’t want that.

In the post-qualifying press conference in Budapest, Norris had all the spotlight on himself. After all, he is the pole sitter for tomorrow! The media asked the Brit what his engagement rules were going to be. Looking at Verstappen, Norris stated: “You’re coming over the back of my car? That’s not very nice.” Adding: “The Bottas! Honestly, it’s something we’ll talk about, and the same as we’ve always done. We’ve always kept it clean. I think we’ve treated each other well and given each other respect, helped each other when we needed to. So, yeah, no worries from our part.” 

Of course! Lando wouldn’t want Max Verstappen to go all ‘Valtteri Bottas’ on him in Hungary. Not another Hungarian GP debacle for the 24-year-old. More importantly, the two friends already had a massive clash a few weeks ago in Austria. So, another such incident would possibly mar their kinship. Meanwhile, Norris’ “Bottas” comment has triggered some curious minds, isn’t it?

The 2021 Hungarian GP was a nightmare when Valtteri Bottas crashed into Lando Norris and others

Back in 2021, Lando Norris who was in his second year in F1, started the race from P4. Meanwhile, the already seasoned, then-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas tailed behind Lewis Hamilton from P2. However, both drivers—Norris and Bottas—had an early end to their race. Why? Because Bottas clashed with a young Lando. Bottas had a slow start on the wet track and missed his braking point at Turn 1, hitting Norris, which also involved Verstappen and Perez.

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll avoided the chaos ahead by going over Turn 1’s apex and colliding with Charles Leclerc. The chaos ended with Bottas, Norris, Stroll, and Leclerc out of the race. Speaking after the race, Bottas admitted his mistake and took responsibility for the incident, while Lando Norris was left fuming. Bottas apologized for the crash, but Norris criticized the incident as unacceptable in top-tier racing. This is the horrifying incident Norris doesn’t want to see repeating itself at this year’s Hungarian GP.

Especially now, sitting on P1, Lando Norris is extra cautious. He doesn’t want to miss out on another win. Norris is not ready to face his Spanish and British Grands Prix fate. Therefore, he aims to work in partnership with his teammate Oscar Piastri (P2) for tomorrow. Now, only Lando’s skills, the car’s upgrades, track weather and last but not least, luck, would help him win.

Place your bets, will Lando Norris win the Hungarian GP 2024?