Norris: It could have been me, it starts shaking you
British teenager Lando Norris admitted he was left shaken by Anthoine Hubert’s death at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Norris, the 19-year-old Mclaren rookie, graduated from Formula Two after finishing runner-up in the feeder championship last year.
“I didn’t feel great ahead of today’s race,” said Norris, who was on course to finish a career-best fifth before his Mclaren hit trouble on the final lap.
“What happened here on Saturday could happen to any of us. It could have been me last year racing in Formula Two.
“When you think like that, it starts shaking you. Maybe some people take it better than others, but I didn’t take it too well.
“At the end of the day, my job is to race for the team. I still need to live my life, move on and do things that sometimes I don’t want to do.
“I wanted to race today, but at the same time I felt so sorry for everyone involved. I don’t even like talking about it. He was a racer like we all are but he was just the unlucky guy.
“It was something that is so rare, but at the same time it could still happen in Formula One.”
The FIA, Formula One’s governing body, has opened an investigation into Saturday’s tragedy. It will work alongside Belgian authorities.
The inquiry is being led by racing director Michael Masi, the Australian who succeeded Charlie Whiting following his sudden death in March.
Norris took advantage of a chaotic opening first corner in which Max Verstappen collided with Kimi Raikkonen. The incident allowed Norris to make up six places from his starting spot of 11th. That was where he remained until he broke down following an engine failure with just four miles of the race to run.
“I said the f-word very, very loudly,” he added. “I am pretty sure people in the grandstands heard.”
The London-born Thai Alex Albon assumed Norris’s fifth place after battling back from 18th on his impressive Red Bull debut.
“If you told me I would finish fifth before the start of the weekend, I would have taken it,” he said.