Norris: Wet running not as tricky as expected

Having had his first taste of Formula 1 action in the wet,Lando Norriswas surprised by the amount of grid he had during Tuesday’s Hungarian GP test.

AlthoughDay One’s action at the post-Hungarian GPtest began on a dry track, a rain shower in the afternoon meant a first run in the wet for the McLaren protege.

And while Norris showed his prowess in the rain during the Hungarian Formula 2 race, he admits he was a bit apprehensive heading out in theMcLarenMCL33.

“It’s the first time I’ve driven a Formula 1 car in the rain, so it was good to feel the difference from F2 to F1 in the wet,” he said.

“It was still tricky, but I thought it would be a lot trickier because of how much more horsepower you have in F1.

“At the same time, you have a lot more grip than in Formula 2, so it’s just on another level, in a similar way to how it is in the dry.

“Cornering speeds and braking performance are much better than you’d expect in the rain, so I had more confidence than I thought I was going to have.

“I was a bit nervous before I went out because it got properly wet very quickly!

“I had a good feeling even in the wet, but then it dried out very quickly. I’ve experienced basically everything today weather-wise, and did 107 laps, so that’s really positive.”

He finished Tuesday’s test fourth fastest with a 1:19.294/

“It was really enjoyable to get back in the car today, especially as it’s one year since I first made my debut,” said Norris. “The first three-quarters of the day were obviously really good.

“I did a lot of testing; quite a few aero runs but at the same time a good amount of proper runs, so I had a good feeling for the car – until it rained! That put us back a bit, so there are some things we’ll need to carry on testing tomorrow.”

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