F1 drivers have been hopping in and out of ice baths in a bid to cool off in Singapore – but McLaren’s Lando Norris has gone for something a little different.
Cooling down between sessions is absolutely essential at the Marina Bay Circuit, which is not far from the equator. The logic goes that if a driver can cope with the Singapore Grand Prix, they can cope with anything.
Temperatures were typically stifling on Friday as the teams prepared for qualifying and Sunday’s race. After practice, the drivers jumped into their own private baths filled with ice.
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However, in Norris’s case, he seemed to opt for something which wouldn’t look out of place in a Harry Potter movie – an ice cauldron. McLaren posted footage of the Brit gingerly stepping into the pot-style bath, which had steam and mist pouring off it.
“Oh, it’s cold,” says Norris as he steps in. After sitting down, he asks: “Why’s it bubbling? It’s mint.”
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He is then told by a team member it’s because of the dry ice. After rubbing his face and dipping it in the water, Norris repeats: “This is mint.”
Norris was fourth and sixth in the two practice sessions at a track where McLaren, who have introduced their final set of upgrades for the season, are expected to challenge for a podium behind the dominant Red Bull of world champion Max Verstappen.
“I think it was a reasonable Friday,” said Norris. “It was good to get the new bits on the car and everything’s looking positive from that side at the minute.
“It’s a nice improvement from what we had. I think it’s done everything that it should have done, so a good job by the team to get the upgrade here and for it all to work as it should. I think the pace is reasonable, we might not be as good as Ferrari, but we’re in a good fight for a good position otherwise.”
Ferrari were surprisingly fastest in both sessions, with Charles Leclerc topping FP1 and Carlos Sainz leading the way in FP2.
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