Lando Norris quipped that it “would have been nice” if George Russell launched an attack on McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for the lead at the Bahrain Grand Prix. 

The exchange occurred in the cooldown room ahead of the podium ceremony after Piastri claimed his second victory of the F1 2025 season in Sakhir.

Lando Norris: George Russell pass on Oscar Piastri would’ve ‘been nice’

Piastri collected his fourth career victory on Sunday in Bahrain, dominating from pole position to reduce team-mate Norris’s lead in the World Championship standings.

Norris recovered to third after qualifying a disappointing sixth on Saturday with the McLarens split by the Mercedes of Russell, who secured his third podium in four races.

The drivers were showed a brief highlights reel ahead of the podium ceremony, with Norris unable to resist a quip about Piastri’s win by a margin of 14.499 seconds.

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Norris said to Piastri: “Nice, easy race. Pretty calm. All under control.”

The drivers were then shown a clip of the Safety Car restart, when Norris was ambushed by the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton and briefly dropped to fifth.

Russell said: “This the restart? Did you get past him?

Norris: “He [Hamilton] done me here around the outside.”

Piastri: “What did he mean [did you get past]? It’s you!”

Norris: “Alright, mate. Jesus. Just because you’re so far ahead, man!”

A clip of Norris locking up heavily at Turn 1 as he pressured Leclerc for third place caused some amusement among the drivers, with Norris making a self deprecating comment.

Norris said: “What. A. Muppet. Who’s that?”

As Norris finally gets past Leclerc at Turn 4 a short time later, Russell said: “This Turn 4? Same lap? Well done. That was decent at least.”

With Russell struggling with technical problems in his Mercedes, at one stage complaining of an issue with the gears and accidentally opening the DRS in the wrong place – a moment at the centre of a post-race FIA stewards’ investigation – Norris put pressure on his fellow Brit in the closing laps.

Norris launched a move into Turn 1 on the final lap with Russell defending aggressively to retain the position.

Norris said: “Don’t want to see. You were definitely going to have me off there, weren’t you?

Russell: “Nah mate, loads of room.”

The drivers were finally shown a slow-motion clip of Piastri on track, with Norris describing the footage as “boring.”

Norris: “Who’s that? That’s boring. He’s all on his own.”

Russell:” Sixteen seconds ahead? Cruising.”

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Russell then let slip that he considered making a move on Piastri for the lead at the Safety Car restart before thinking better of it.

The Mercedes driver’s revelation prompted a funny response from Norris, who admitted he would have encouraged any attempt by Russell to take points away from Piastri with the McLaren drivers set to be locked in a tense F1 2025 title fight.

Russell said: “I was tempted to go for a bit of a move at the restart.

Piastri: “I saw! I was like: ‘Urgh, he’s close enough if he really wants to go for it…’

Norris: “Why didn’t you? That would have been nice.”

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