Norris: "Fair play" to Albon for late lunge
Lando Norris was pleased Formula 1 rival Alex Albon was not penalised in the Japanese Grand Prix for the lunge that caused contact and “kind of forced me off”.

Red Bull driver Albon dropped behind both McLarens on the opening lap and on lap four launched a move on Norris into the chicane from a long way back.
Norris took evasive action as Albon appeared on his inside at the apex of the corner, the two cars touched and Norris lost two more places as he skated across the run-off.
Immediately after the race Norris was unaware the two had touched, initially stating “everything thinks there was a clash [but] there was no clash”, and did not know some debris flicked off his car as he went off.
“In my eyes there was no contact,” said Norris. “He made a decent move, must've been from quite a long way back.
“My brakes were overheating completely because of the debris [from Charles Leclerc’s broken front wing], which meant that I locked up the front right completely.
“He [then] sends it from a long way back. Fair play to him anyway.”
When asked by Motorsport.com to explain his last-gasp reaction to Albon’s lunge, Norris added: “It was a bit of a risk from him because he would've got past sooner or later, he was much quicker.
“But I guess that's racing. He didn't get a penalty, did he? Good.
“He kind of forced me off, but I think that's racing. That's how it should be. He sent it down the inside, he made a move, fair play to the guy.”
Though Norris lost positions to Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll as a result of Albon’s move, the main compromise was he was forced to do an extra lap before pitting to remove the debris from his brake ducts.
However, he admitted the outcome could have been “a crash, or something worse” had he not seen Albon coming.
“I saw him freaking late, to be honest,” said Norris. “I started to turn in, I think I was on the brakes but they just weren't slowing down properly.
“But he must've committed before, and I was almost getting to the apex, at which point I saw him.
“I don't know, I'll look at my onboard, but as soon as you see me start to turn left, was pretty much the point I saw him.
“It quite easily could've turned into something a lot worse.”
Albon admitted the move was risky and that he was relying on Norris to be aware of him.
"When you do those moves you hope the other guy sees you basically," said Albon.
"Lando gave me space, the move was on and he left the door open. Then I was like, “Ooh, he’s turning in here”, so banged wheels, but got away with it."

Previous article
Japanese Grand Prix driver ratings
Next article
Hamilton: 2019 title doesn't feel as "happy"

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Japanese GP |
Sub-event | Race |
Drivers | Lando Norris , Alex Albon |
Teams | McLaren , AlphaTauri |
Author | Scott Mitchell |
Norris: "Fair play" to Albon for late lunge
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror