Lando Norris showed his class with a heartwarming message to Lewis Hamilton (Image: Getty)
demonstrated his classy demeanour in the wake of defeat after sending a message of encouragement to after the
Hamilton recovered from a disappointing Brazilian Grand Prix performance three weeks ago to finish second in Las Vegas behind his team-mate .
While Russell was in a race of his own out front after starting on pole, Hamilton, 39, started 10th and had to fight through the pack in his surprisingly quick W15 car.
He chased down the likes of Norris, , Charles Leclerc and and at one stage looked like closing the gap to race leader Russell. But he ran out of time and had to settle for a 202nd podium finish in Formula One, although the veteran was more than pleased with his performance in Sin City.
“From 10 to [two], always a good time fighting up the grid,” Hamilton wrote to his 38 million followers. “Well done to George for the win and to the team for all the work to get us to a 1-2.
“Definitely didn’t expect the result, and it’s a real testament to how much time, effort and team work goes into this. Two races left, let’s keep this momentum and end on a high.”
Norris, who could only finish sixth in an underwhelming race for , showed his support for his fellow Briton with a brief yet classy message.
Replying in a comment underneath Hamilton’s post, Norris wrote: “Mega race mate.”
Lando Norris replies to Lewis Hamilton’s post on Instagram (Image: Instagram/@lewishamilton)
The star could’ve been forgiven for steering clear of social media altogether following Sunday’s race given the circumstances.
Norris may have been licking his wounds after watching his title dream officially come to an end, as Verstappen celebrated winning a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship.
The 25-year-old has been the closest challenger to Verstappen through the season as he gradually chipped away at his lead, reducing it to 44 points at one stage.
But the star clinched a huge victory in Sao Paulo to gain an 18-point swing and did what was required of him in Las Vegas, outscoring Norris by finishing fifth.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have showed respect to each other (Image: Getty)
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Norris’ comment reflects how his relationship with Hamilton has improved over the years after some snipes from the younger Briton early in his career.
Their increasing mutual respect became apparent after Hamilton praised Norris at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix for valiantly keeping him at bay behind him.
The driver offered his congratulations when Norris clinched his first Grand Prix victory in Miami earlier this year.
“I want to say, I feel so really happy for Lando,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 back in May. “It’s such a special moment to win your first Grand Prix, and obviously I started at so really happy to see them back at the top. It’s been a long time.”