Jolyon Palmer has admitted Lando Norris and George Russell did something the BBC pundit ‘never thought’ he would see during the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
The McLaren and Mercedes pair produced an eye-opening sight at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday. Norris started the Spanish GP on pole position for just the second time in his Formula 1 career. But the 24-year-old had to settle for second behind Max Verstappen.
A poor launch cost Norris in Montmelo as Verstappen shot down the inside of the Briton off the grid. But a tow from the McLaren and Red Bull duo saw Russell charge from fourth place into the lead. Yet the 26-year-old would only retain first from Verstappen until the third lap.
Jolyon Palmer ‘never’ expected a Spanish GP fight like Lando Norris and George Russell’s
McLaren pivoted their strategy to help Norris after the Briton lost time stuck behind Russell during the first phase. It took the Bristol-born driver until Lap 16 to pass his compatriot and only gained the position as Mercedes boxed Russell. The pit stop simply paused their battle.
Norris returned to the circuit in P5 following his first pit stop and used his off-set tyre life to good effect. Yet the McLaren ace eventually found himself behind King’s Lynn native Russell and it took an eye-opening tussle for Norris to seize second place from the Mercedes driver.
READ MORE: F1 2025 driver line-up with every team’s confirmed entry for the grid
A seven-corner duel between Norris and Russell around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which the former eventually won, astounded Palmer. Lap 35 of the Spanish GP saw the two Britons enthral from Turn 1 to T7 and spent much of the fight running side-by-side, as well.
Palmer told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Seven corners of racing action in Barcelona! I never thought I would see a battle like that in Barcelona. That was superb stuff from Norris and then Russell, and then Norris again!”
Lando Norris and George Russell produced a side-by-side spectacular in Barcelona
Russell would have felt he had Norris covered when the Mercedes racer claimed the inside line for T4. But his McLaren rival refused to yield and hung on brilliantly with the overlap to snag the position. Yet Russell then refused to yield and he flew around Norris’ outside at T4.
Taking the outside of T4 gave Russell the inside line for Turn 5 and, again, the Mercedes ace would have expected to have the position covered. But he ran slightly deeper after taking a tighter line, giving Norris the switch-back and the position with Russell forced to back out.
Had Turn 7 not been a sharp left-hander for the uphill run, Russell would no doubt have set up another overtake on Norris. Instead, it was the end of a fight that astounded Palmer and set the McLaren driver on course for a P2 finish in the Spanish GP and Russell slipped to P4.
The post ‘I never thought’: Norris and Russell did something Palmer never expected in Spanish GP appeared first on F1 Oversteer.