Norris reveals what caused "nerve-wracking moments" during the Monaco Grand Prix

F1 Grand Prix, GP Monaco, Monte Carlo Circuit

Despite controlling yesterday's Monaco Grand Prix en route to his first victory in the Principality, McLaren driver Lando Norris conceded that he encountered tricky times during the 78-lap race, especially when he lapped the backmarkers.

Although Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc dominated the practice sessions at the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri picked up the pace in qualifying.

The Briton set the benchmark in the middle part of qualifying before posting a track record in Q3 en route to a brilliant pole position in the Principality.

His team-mate Piastri was unable to put a perfect lap together when it really mattered, and ended up third on the grid behind the Ferrari of Leclerc.

Despite the introduction of a mandatory two-stop strategy for this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, Lando Norris controlled proceedings in the 78-lap race to snatch his first victory in the Principality from home favourite Charles Leclerc.

Piastri did not always look overly comfortable in his MCL39, but it was still enough for the Australian to finish on the podium and maintain his lead in the championship.

Asked how sweet the view from the top of the Monaco podium was, Norris conceded that he enjoyed the moment as it had been one of his dreams to win a race on the famous streets of Monte Carlo.

"Well, all I saw was camera lenses. So, I can dream of better, but it was… I mean, it’s the feelings. Of course, the view of the team and seeing everyone, my mum and dad down below… Yeah, it’s the feelings inside, which are really the special ones.

"Seeing the chequered flag and, yeah, winning in Monaco is something I dreamed of when I was a kid. There are many things that I think everyone dreams of – it’s getting to Formula 1, winning a race in Formula 1, and winning a race in Monaco.

"And we achieved it today. So yeah, proud of the whole team, of myself, and big accomplishment for all of us. The team haven't won since, what, 2008 or something. So not just a good one for me, but a good one for McLaren too.

Although it looked like from the outside that the Monaco weekend was the dream weekend for Norris, he conceded that he encountered tricky times during the race, especially when he lapped the backmarkers.

"No dramas. I think there were definitely some more tense moments in the race when I needed to push, and Charles was never that far behind.

"Especially at the end with Max ahead, there were some tense moments trying not to get too close to Max, otherwise that’s when Charles had opportunities. But I think we managed it well with the strategy. It’s always hard to know what we could have done better. I'm sure we can review things and look back on it.

"But in the end, the result was the perfect one. Tricky at times, with the amount of cars, there were big bunches of cars, so getting through them without making mistakes, without any silly things happening was always the most nerve-wracking bit. Otherwise, I felt good. I felt good with the tyres, with the management of tyres and stints and all of those things. So, yeah, I was happy.

Pushed to reveal how much confidence the Monaco weekend gives him, Norris stressed that he always has the necessary confidence on Sundays, he has rather struggled for pace on Saturdays.

" I think yesterday [Saturday ]gave me confidence. Today… Yeah, nothing new in the sense of I’ve had confidence in every Sunday we've had this year.

"I've not needed the confidence on Sundays, but yesterday was a bigger day for me. I was more proud of yesterday than I almost was of today. Not just because a pole in Monaco sets up a win, but the accomplishment of doing it, no matter what the track would have been, was something I'm more proud about.

"So yeah, a good weekend for me, not just in terms of result but personally, to kind of give myself that momentum, that boost, definitely makes me feel better going into Barcelona next week.