Lando Norris Reveals Praying for Bottas’ Retirement in the Bahrain GP

Lando Norris enjoyed an incredible race weekend in Bahrain, after crossing the line in P4, only behind the top-field teams. But at one point during the race, it looked like the Briton could even sneak his way onto the podium, all thanks to Mercedes’ minor pit-stop mishap.

During the race, Mercedes, and particularly, Valtteri Bottas, experienced a déjà vu during his second pit-stop. Bottas’ front-right tire remained reluctant from getting off of his car for a brief moment.

And subsequently, the news reached Norris, leaving him over the moon. Unfortunately, his dream did not last long, as the Mercedes crew managed to set Bottas free after stalling his car for around 11 seconds.

What did Lando Norris say?

As reported by Motorsport, Norris revealed that he was wishing Bottas would retire from the race after the news of tire trouble crept into his ears.

“Valtteri had a problem with his pit stop. And I was hoping he would obviously be out of the race,” he said. “Of course I don’t want anyone to experience this.

“But I remembered last year’s Austrian Grand Prix and for a moment thought that this glitch might bring me a chance. It didn’t happen, but I’m pretty happy with the fourth.” (Translated from Turkish using Google Translate)

Had Bottas stayed any longer in the pit-stop, Norris would have been a substantial threat to the Finn. Moreover, the McLaren driver was just 10 seconds away from Bottas.

We have things to work on: Norris

Norris had a rather lonely race after his splendid start. While he struggled to keep up the Mercedes and Red Bull ahead, he blitzed away from the cars behind him, ending up in a no-man’s-land throughout the race. Ultimately, he secured a massive 12 points for his on-track efforts.

Following the satisfying weekend, Norris revealed that there are still a lot of work to do in the McLaren car ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“I think it was a good start to the season. We have things to work on. But generally speaking, we could be happy with the first race,” he said.

Norris never had any trouble from his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo over the Bahrain GP race. The Australian had to compromise his race pace after Pierre Gasly slammed into his rear, damaging the car’s floor.

But a teammate battle over the upcoming race weekend is very much likely. And if that’s the case, who do you think will finish ahead this time around?