Lando Norris came ninth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, behind his McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo. The 22-year-old could have finished higher if it weren’t for his team’s call to hold him from overtaking the Australian driver. 

Norris and Ricciardo were on similar pace in Baku. At the beginning of the race, the latter was asked to not overtake his British teammate.“At the beginning, I was feeling like I could attack and I wanted to [overtake Lando] but obviously had to obey and control myself….let’s say the favour got returned,” he told Sky Sports. 

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However, later Norris who believed he could get by Ricciardo but was told not to overtake. The Briton, who was confued by the decision, was told they were returning the favour for the Aussie’s earlier teamwork.

Lando Norris, after the race, said that he would have finished higher if he was a ‘bit more of a rebel’. 

“I think I’m a team player. I accepted I can’t overtake at the end and I couldn’t go for the position. Daniel helped me out in the middle. It was one lap he wasn’t allowed to overtake me on. If the return favour is to not overtake at all in the last three laps, I guess I have to accept it,” the McLaren driver told F1.com. 

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He took the decision as fair and is happy with it. 

“I think it’s fair. I don’t think what we did was incorrect. It’s just you’re racing, you always want to push it, you always want to find what the limit of it is. But I could have done it when I was at the inside into Turn 1 and I gave way to him and then let him through. I could have finished eighth if I was a bit more of a rebel. I accept what we did as a team, I think what we did was strong. Our aim was to be in the points with both cars and that’s exactly what we did, so I’m happy with that.”