Lando Norris left speechless after podium finish at dramatic Monaco Grand Prix

F1 preview: A lap of the Monaco Grand Prix

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Lando Norris has moved up to third in the Drivers’ Championship after holding off Sergio Perez to clinch a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. The McLaren driver started the race in fourth with Charles Leclerc unable to race due to an issue with his car following his crash in qualifying.

Ferrari had all the pace throughout the weekend and Norris was starting just behind his former team-mate Carlos Sainz, who left McLaren at the end of 2020.

All cars got off to a clean start with every driver giving each other plenty of respect.

Norris was keeping touch with Sainz throughout the race heading into the first set of pit stops.

But his race strategy soon changed after Valtteri Bottas was forced to retire from the Grand Prix after suffering heartbreaking error in his pit stop.

© GETTY Lando Norris was ecstatic with his podium finish

The wheel nut machined onto the axle as they tried to remove Bottas’ front-right tyre, meaning he was unable to come back out.

That pushed Norris up into a podium position though in third with a battle on his hands to hold off Perez.

The 21-year-old was on his radio constantly complaining of tyre degradation as Perez began to close in on the final few laps.

Perez got within DRS but the Red Bull driver was struggling to find a gap to make a move.

Eventually Norris held on though for the third podium of his career in F1 and first finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.

And he couldn’t wipe a big grin off his face while being interviewed by David Coulthard after the race.

“I don’t know what to say, I didn’t think I’d be here today,” he said.

“It’s always a dream to be on the podium here so it’s extra special.

“[We had] a bit of luck and I want to say some good driving and a good car all weekend.”

© GETTY Lando Norris is now up to third in the Drivers’ Championship

While Norris and Sainz are no longer team-mates, they are still very clearly good friends from their time together at McLaren.

So much so that Sainz gate-crashed Norris’ interview with the pair sharing a nice embrace with a few laughs.

“Congrats to this guy [Sainz] and Max of course,” Norris added.

“It’s special here so I’ll cherish it.”