"How he held off Hamilton" - Jolyon Palmer praises Lando Norris' Russian GP performance, defense on Lewis Hamilton

Lando Norris had a slightly tougher second half of the season. Despite that, he has proven himself to be one of the most exciting young talents in F1 with real potential to be fighting for the championship title in the years to come. Motorsport columnist Jolyon Palmer claims that the McLaren driver's race at the Russian Grand Prix specifically was the one that stood out for him.

Praising his defense against Hamilton, here's what Palmer had to say about Norris' glorious drive in Sochi from his maiden pole position, as reported by Formula 1:

“The most impressive part was how he held off Hamilton as rain fell. Seeking a first Formula 1 win, being hunted down by a rainmaster in a better car, Norris was brilliant, scrabbling for grip as conditions worsened and actually pulling away from Hamilton on slicks in the wet.”

Lando Norris had an exceptional weekend in Sochi which, unfortunately, ended in absolute heartbreak. The Briton missed out on a possible maiden Grand Prix victory after having led most of the race only to lose the lead to Hamilton on lap 51. As the rain started to fall more heavily, most drivers decided to switch to intermediates. Norris, however, stayed out to retain his lead and ended up aquaplaning on Turn 5. He never regained his position, ending at a disappointing P7.

Palmer added:

“Perhaps let down by his team in the end and beaten by strategy in a gutting final few laps for him, this was nonetheless the best underdog display I saw in 2021, even if it ended in heartbreak, as so many underdog efforts do.”

With 4 podiums, his first pole position and some of the most thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles, Lando Norris gave it his all this year. The 22-year-old is expected to come back stronger than ever in 2022, fighting for wins.

---

"Lando did such an amazing job" - Lewis Hamilton on Lando Norris' drive at Sochi

Lando Norris managed to hold off seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton with a reasonably less competitive car for the majority of the race. It was, however, the Mercedes driver who went on to win the race in the end, marking his 100th as an F1 driver.

Despite the devastating end, the drive in Sochi was praised by the entire F1 community and Hamilton himself.

Here's what Hamilton had to say about Norris at the Russian Grand Prix:

“Lando did such an amazing job, he had incredible pace and is doing such a great job for McLaren. It was bittersweet to see my old team ahead and they’re doing fantastically.”

Hamilton also acknowledged that the race may have gone differently in the end had the weather conditions stayed the same. The seven-time world champion alluded to the possibility that he would not have been able to take the win from Norris in the dry.

“It would’ve been tough to get past Lando [in the dry] unless we came up to some traffic or he made a mistake, which he hasn't been doing, so then the rain came and it was very opportunistic.”

The fans, however, provided some consolation to the McLaren driver as he was voted Driver of the Day at the Russian Grand Prix. Regardless of his results, Lando Norris is undoubtedly a fan favorite.