Метка: Lando Norris

Verstappen/Norris Austrian GP clash caused by unpunished 2021 F1 moves

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella believes Max Verstappen’s collision with Lando Norris in the Austrian Grand Prix was a result of his 2021 clashes with Lewis Hamilton not being properly punished.

Verstappen and Norris crashed late in the race at the Red Bull Ring when the former moved across the latter at the track’s tight, sharply-uphill Turn 3 right-hander, after Norris had sent a series of moves to the corner’s inside in previous laps.

Norris and McLaren felt Verstappen was moving under braking in all of the moves – something the Red Bull driver later denied.

In an interview with Sky Sports F1 in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s main event in Austria, Stella said: “I see it as the entire population in the world will know who is responsible, expect for a group of people [Red Bull, its fans and Verstappen and his fans].

“But the problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back.

“They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there was some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way.

“You learn now to race in a certain way, which we can consider fair and square.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle for the lead

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle for the lead

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Stella was referencing the multiple times Verstappen and Hamilton collided in their bitter 2021 world title contest – where they made contact at Imola, Silverstone, Monza and Jeddah.

The Jeddah clash followed their near-collision at the 2021 Brazilian GP, where Verstappen forced Hamilton off the track at Turn 4 and Interlagos – a move that went unpunished by the officials, with Hamilton nevertheless going on to get ahead.

When asked if he was referencing that particular incident, Stella replied: “Yes, there is many episodes.

“The fact is that we have so much respect for Red Bull, so much respect for Max that they don’t need to do this. They don’t need to do this.

“This is a way to almost compromise your reputation. Why would you do that?”

Stella also said “the stewards found that Max was fully at blame in this episode so it is not about racing in a driver’s way, it is about racing in the regulations”.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

He added: «The regulations must be enforced in a way that is effective, because when a car is out of the race as a consequence of this accident the punishment needs to be proportionate to the outcome.

“We had, before this episode [the crash], twice moving under braking. I think it is evident and we have to enforce the way to go racing because we want to have fun, we want to enjoy.”

Stella believes that even if Norris had been able to pass Verstappen, he was unlikely to have sailed clear to victory – despite his strong pace at the start of the race’s final stint.

The Italian reckons that the aerodynamically efficient Red Bull would have been able to stay in DRS threat of the McLaren and so attacked back at a later point.

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“Even if Lando would’ve passed Max, it could be that Max with DRS effect which is very large he could have been in position to attack Lando again,” Stella explained.

“So, actually I think we were prevented from looking at a pretty exciting final part of the race because I am not sure Lando would’ve gone away.

“I think the fight would’ve gone to the chequered flag. It is a shame as we’ll never know.”



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«Overcritical» Norris chasing final percent to beat Verstappen in F1

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Lando Norris admits he was too critical of his Spanish Grand Prix start as he tries to find ways to beat Max Verstappen in Formula 1.

Norris pipped runaway championship leader Verstappen to Barcelona pole by a mere 0.020 seconds, showcasing the tight battle the two teams are in now.

But the McLaren driver didn’t enjoy his lead for very long, being unable to keep Verstappen at bay off the line, and then seeing Mercedes’s George Russell slingshot past both of them to swoop into a Turn 1 lead.

Norris fought his way past Russell to finish second, but Red Bull remained out of striking range.

In his trademark style, Norris slated himself for not having as good a start as Verstappen, feeling like that’s where he lost his chance for a second career win.

Following post-race analysis, Norris conceded he was too self-critical as Verstappen just had a marginally better launch, and Russell’s powerful slipstream on the long run down to Turn 1 was hard to resist anyway.

PLUS: Why it wasn’t just Russell’s start that cost Norris the Spanish GP victory

But it is indicative of the final 1% that Norris feels he and McLaren need to find to beat the Verstappen-Red Bull juggernaut, which has been nailing results even on nominally weaker circuits such as Imola or Montreal.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

When asked where that final percent is coming from, he replied: «I don’t think there’s an easy answer to it.

«Even my start was not a bad start. At the time maybe I was a bit overcritical on saying I had a bad start, but I didn’t and George still would have passed me.

«It’s just that in every little area, we just need a little bit more preparation or a bit more practice on Fridays or Saturdays and getting these things nailed down.

«I could have easily tried to be a hero and gone around the outside of Max, and that only would have caused a crash, and I would have ended up taking George out.

«After Turn 2, everything was very good, even our strategy. I know we got a lot of criticism on strategy, but that’s from people who have no idea what they’re talking about.

«So, I’m very happy with probably 99.5%. Just a couple of metres off the line cost me last weekend.»

It is just one example of how every tiny detail needs to be correct to challenge Red Bull, even if McLaren appeared to have the quickest car in Spain.

PLUS: Does McLaren now have Formula 1’s fastest package?

But Norris doesn’t believe his MCL38 was that much faster than Verstappen’s RB20, instead identifying his fresher tyres as the reason why he was clawing back his deficit in the final stint.

«Even after reviewing last weekend, I don’t necessarily think we had a much quicker car than Red Bull,» he insisted.

«I looked quicker than Max because of my extended stints, having a decent tyre delta over him.

Race start - Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15 battle for the lead

Race start — Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15 battle for the lead

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

«It might not look like anything, but four laps of tyre delta to another car in Barcelona is quite extreme in terms of lap time difference.»

But Norris says he has seen enough of how his car has developed in recent races, and become more of an all-rounder after dialling out low-speed weaknesses, to keep challenging Verstappen and add to his lone Miami win.

«There are just tiny little things I needed to tidy up and, as a team, we have to do a slightly better job,» he added.

«But a lot of it was at the level that it needs to be, so we could go on and win some races.

«I definitely think that’s possible with how the team is performing, how I’m performing at the minute.

«But we’re against one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1, one of the best-performing teams in Formula 1, so everything needs to be executed perfectly well and last weekend everything was not executed perfectly well.

«That one thing that wasn’t, that’s what cost us.»



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What Norris’s last-stint regret tells us about F1’s tyre mastery trick

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While Lando Norris’s hopes of victory in Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix were effectively derailed by his start, there was equally a phase late on that proved just as critical.

With the McLaren driver having earned himself a tyre offset against Max Verstappen, the advantage of fresher rubber in the final stint offered him a chance to overhaul the Red Bull for the lead.

Norris duly put on a charge and managed to get himself just 2.2 seconds behind at the chequered flag, but there was a sense of regret afterwards about how he handled that final 19-lap stint on Pirelli’s soft rubber.

PLUS: The ruthless marker Norris laid down with his Verstappen squeeze at Barcelona

He was left pondering whether or not he should have stuck to his guns with a tyre trick that he and McLaren have got on top of this year.

This surrounds bringing in fresh rubber slowly after a stop, because it performs much better over the long haul, than if drivers gun it straight out of the pits.

Speaking after the race, Norris said: “It wasn’t the longest final stint, so I didn’t know if we were going to get to that time in the stint when I really start to catch.

“I think really, like the last three laps, the gaps were pretty big in terms of how much it was coming down. Yeah, it’s a hard one.

“I don’t know if maybe I pushed a bit too much in the beginning and struggled a little bit more at the end. It’s very difficult to judge these things.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

What Norris is referring to is that, when he came out of the pits for the final dash to the flag, aware of the need to chase down a 7.696s gap to Verstappen, he elected to go on the attack.

His first flying lap was a 1m17.377s, and then two laps later he put in the fastest lap of the race – a 1m17.115s – as he began his hunt.

But, while pushing to the maximum like this may seem the obvious way to haul in the leader, F1 teams and drivers spend time and effort mastering the different approach that is often better.

PLUS: Why it wasn’t just Russell’s start that cost Norris the Spanish GP victory

It is one that involves actually taking it easier straight out of the pits.

Instead, drivers work to slowly bring their rubber in over a couple of laps – which ultimately leaves them with better stabilised pressures and temperatures that deliver better performance for the remainder of the stint.

As Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra explains, it is all about getting tyres into a window where they perform at their peak.

“It’s all related to carcass temperature, and then obviously the pressure,” he said. “There is a sort of inertia for the tyres.

“If you have a gentle introduction, carcass temperature and pressure increase progressively. So, as you start to wear the tread of the tyres, you stabilise at a lower pressure than pushing as soon as possible and having a big peak of temperature and pressure.

“We know that being lower with pressure is much better than having higher pressures, because you have a bigger contact patch for one. Plus, with the carcass temperature and pressure, even the cornering stiffness of the tyre can be better.

“When you turn in and you have the mid-corner phase, obviously with higher temperatures, you generate more problems with the handling. So, you generate more understeer for example if you saturate the front axle.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, in the pitlane

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, in the pitlane

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

According to Berra, the gains if drivers and teams can perfectly nail getting their tyre in the right window with this early stint treatment should not be underestimated.

“It’s really team dependent but it [the difference] could be around half or one Psi,” he said. “So, it can be significant.

“If you are managing the tyres, you can keep the pressures and temperatures under control, and you can stabilise them where you would like.

“So, it’s always a good compromise to have a gentle introduction. You have seen multiple times this year where a gentle introduction was beneficial compared to someone who pushed from the beginning of the stint.”

One classic example of this was Imola this year, where Norris took it easy early on in the final stint before his tyres hit their peak in another chase of Verstappen.

The British driver will never know for sure if the race would have turned out differently if he had taken it easier in the early laps of that final Spanish GP stint. But, with F1 as competitive as it is now, it is clear that picking the right approach – gunning it early with tyres or bringing them in gently – has emerged as a clear defining factor in the fight for victory.

Watch: F1 2024’s Most Interesting Tech Upgrades So Far



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Norris could have done nothing more to win F1 Spanish GP

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Lando Norris may have been kicking himself for losing out in Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix, but the team reckons there was nothing more he could have done.

Norris was left frustrated with himself that, despite securing pole position and having what appeared to be the fastest car at Barcelona, he was beaten to the chequered flag by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Briton felt that with a better first corner, which saw him lose out to Max Verstappen and get trapped behind Mercedes’ George Russell early on where he lost critical time, the outcome of the race would have been totally different.

But McLaren thinks that what happened at Turn 1 was not Norris’s fault, and indeed it thinks the race was perfectly salvageable even at that point.

Instead, team principal Andrea Stella says that the superb getaway that Russell made to swoop from fourth to first at the first corner, was something that Norris had no control over.

“I think actually Lando’s start wasn’t very bad at all,” explained Stella. “It was a decent start, like he was almost one car ahead of Max.

“But the fact is that Russell got the double slipstream of Lando and Max. And, in corner one, I think Lando was just very wise, because it’s one second and your race is gone. And that’s not the way we want to race. We want to stay in the race.

“So I think from an opportunity point of view it [the start] was more of a detail. Okay, you can do an even better start, you would have been one metre ahead, but it’s very, very marginal.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Details matter

McLaren and Norris have both talked in recent weeks about how details are now increasingly important in the fight with Red Bull, because small decisions can have huge implications when it comes to the fight for position.

Stella said that the Spanish GP proved his point, where factors like the long run down to Turn 1, and the opportunity that opened up for Russell because of the high-drag characteristics of current cars, had massive significance.

And although Norris was not helped by a slow 3.6-seconds final stop, compared to Verstappen’s 2.8s, Stella thinks it was not critical to the outcome.

“You have no margin in which you can compensate any little imprecision,” said Stella. “I would say that the main factor was that we couldn’t defend the first position in Barcelona.

“This is not necessarily a surprise, because you have such a long run to corner one. Plus the cars run high downforce, that as soon as you gain a bit of slipstream, it makes you so much faster than the car ahead. This meant that Lando  was not in condition to defend his pole position.

“I actually appreciated his wise approach to stay out of trouble there, because the race we know was going to come to us. It was just the couple of positions lost at corner one and the time lost behind Russell, they were the two decisive factors.

“And the [slow final] pit stop, probably another one second. But in fairness, even with the one second, if we had been behind Verstappen at the start [and in front of Russell], I think we could have played our cards with good chances.”

Stella said that strategy wise, he felt his team played things perfectly, in sticking to its guns for a tyre offset against its rivals that it believed would pay out handsomely at the end.

“We were very surprised when we saw people go in on lap 16-17 because for me, that’s a bit of self-inflicted pain at this circuit, no? The degradation is so high, overtaking is easy, so we thought this was going to bring us back in the race.

“If we hadn’t lost a little bit too long behind Russell at the start, the race would have come to us at the end of the 66 laps. So actually, I would like to praise the good work of our strategists, because somehow this is what we had in mind.”



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Norris rises from the ashes to extinguish Verstappen’s hopes of F1 Spanish GP pole

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Lando Norris stood there looking up at McLaren’s iconic motorhome as smoke billowed out of the back of it and an acrid smell filled the air.

He was dressed in a white t-shirt and black trousers and just his socks — in the haste to evacuate the building, he’d left his shoes and possessions in his drivers’ room on the bottom floor of the building.

Just minutes before, he’d been chilling in his private quarters while we were enjoying a cup of coffee and a spot of brunch when the lights went out and we were all told to get out of the building.

In panicked scenes in the Barcelona paddock, fire engines and ambulances arrived within minutes as marshals tackled the blaze, as well as Pirelli Motorsport chief Mario Isola, a part-time paramedic in his native Italy, who stormed into the motorhome with an extinguisher from the neighbouring Pirelli hospitality.

The motorhome was cordoned off and remained off limits to McLaren’s staff, while neighbouring teams threw open their doors in a rare display of camaraderie within the paddock.

Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri were forced to take sanctuary in the team’s engineering buildings as their pre-qualifying preparation was thrown into chaos.

Which makes his pole — his second of his Formula 1 career — even more impressive as he pipped Max Verstappen by 0.02s.

Fire and rescue on the scene of the McLaren hospitality fire

Fire and rescue on the scene of the McLaren hospitality fire

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

He said: «First of all, the best thing is everyone’s safe, everyone’s doing well. One person was taken to hospital just for some check-ups, but all good otherwise. So a bit of a scare for the whole team, never a nice thing.

«A bit more of a stressful day than I would have liked. I lost my shoes. That was probably as bad as it got for me!

«I’ve not been in my normal room. I’ve not been able to relax and chill out as much as what I normally do.

«I’ve had a lot of offers from people, so it’s been great. But a lot of the teams have been very, very nice to us.»

When asked by Autosport if he had been required to borrow equipment from rival teams and for extra details on the disruption, he added: «It’s all been a little bit messy.

«I have one or two sets of everything and I think they managed to get some stuff out but some of it’s probably not the best to use or it smells pretty bad from the fire.

«Some things I got out, but I like to listen to my music — Oscar complains a lot because my music’s so loud.

«But I just didn’t have that this time and I’m up in the engineering office and Oscar’s down in the truck below. And that’s Zak’s office that I’ve taken over, so now Zak’s a bit unhappy.

«Honestly, nothing’s been an issue. And I’ve never been that guy to kind of complain about these things.

«Maybe tomorrow will impact me a bit more that I can’t get that quiet time that that I love. But it’s not the end of the world, so I’m not going to complain about it.»

On Saturday night, McLaren released a statement saying that its team member who had been taken to hospital had been discharged, adding its «thanks go to the circuit and hospital medical staff for their care and support».

McLaren now faces an anxious wait to discover the true extent of the damage caused by the fire, which is believe to have started above the team’s kitchen area at the rear of the building.

Fire alarm at the McLaren Hospitality

Fire alarm at the McLaren Hospitality

Photo by: Jon Noble

The building, known as the «Team Hub» has recently been refurbished and downsized to reduce transportation costs and hit sustainability targets.

However, Norris said he was unsure of how much of the Team Hub would be salvaged.

He added: «It is a shame that it won’t be used today or tomorrow, I don’t think, for anything, maybe not into the future, but that’s not anything that I know about for now.»

It comes at a crunch time as F1 teams embark on their first of three races in consecutive weekends, which already places staff under strain.

The triple header in Barcelona, Spielberg and Silverstone is a 3,000 mile round trip on the road where the erection and dismantling of the motorhome is a crucial part of the logistics.

A full deep dive into what caused the fire will be conducted by McLaren while Isola explained the scene he faced as he rushed to help.

He said: «We started to smell this air which was like burning plastic. And when I went down with a fire extinguisher, some guys from McLaren said they had just used theirs.

«We have them here and I took one. I went inside to try to help and inside I saw some smoke coming from the kitchen and then after a few minutes, the firefighters arrived.

«We just left to let them work but the smoke was quite intense, and the number of fires was quite a quite a lot.

«Luckily, nobody was injured, and just a couple of people that I understood, they were breathing some some smoke, but it should be okay, so everything is fine.»



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Norris believes eight F1 drivers could win Spanish GP

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Lando Norris reckons eight drivers have the potential to win Formula 1’s 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, after a close qualifying fight where he pipped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to pole.

McLaren driver Norris took his second F1 career pole with a 1m11.383s at the end of Q3 at Barcelona, which put him 0.020s clear of Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton finished 0.318s back for Mercedes, with the rest of the top six covered by a further 0.035s.

Norris, having predicted after Friday practice that F1 was in for another multi-team victory scrap following on from Canada’s action-packed race last time out, believes Saturday’s qualifying scenes are indicative of a similar race playing out on Sunday in Spain, combined with a lack of long-run practice data accrued across the leading teams.

«I’m excited,» Norris said in the post-qualifying press conference. «It’s a long run down to Turn 1 so it’s one of the places you don’t want to start on pole. But it’s an opportunity for us to go out and try and win a race.

«We’ve not done loads of long running. We’ve done a bit and I think we were close – as it always has been.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

«So, I think tomorrow is not like ‘this car or this car is way quicker’, I think between Mercedes, ourselves, Red Bull, Ferrari there’s eight cars that probably could’ve been on pole today and have a chance of probably winning the race tomorrow.

«So, it’s about making the least mistakes. Similar to today – just about executing another good race.»

Speaking alongside Norris, Verstappen reckoned that predicted overnight rain – something that could yet impact the Barcelona race day based on long-range weather forecasts – could also be a factor in Sunday’s victory battle.

«For sure, I would like to win tomorrow – naturally,» he said. «I think it’s still a bit unknown where we are – like, all of us, in the long runs in terms of pure pace in the long runs.

«I’m hoping of course it’s going to be all very close – like it has been in the last few races.

«I think with the high deg around here as well, you need to really look after your tyres.

«I don’t know what state the track will be tomorrow with potential rain of course overnight and in the morning. So, all of these kinds of things of course come into play.»



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Norris can beat Verstappen in straight fight but ‘many races ending in tears’

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Norris led home Verstappen in F1’s most recent race in Miami – the Briton gaining from a mid-race safety car just as he appeared to be growing into a victory threat and with Verstappen having damaged his Red Bull.

The result has raised hopes of further battles between the pair now McLaren has made a step forward with its upgraded 2024 car, as occurred for much of the second half of the 2023 campaign – albeit with Verstappen typically enjoying a car performance advantage.

McLaren boss Brown was asked for his thoughts on the outcome of a potentially closer Norris and Verstappen fight at last weekend’s Monaco Historique Grand Prix event.

Brown was racing his 1980 Alan Jones-driving Williams FW07B, while McLaren paraded several cars driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna on the 30th anniversary of his death at Imola in 1994.

“I do think Lando can beat Max in a straight fight,” Brown said in an exclusive interview with Autosport.

“I think it would be an awesome fight, I think many races would end in tears – for one or the other, or both.

“But I think as far as raw talent can be, I’ve not seen someone faster than Lando.

“I’m sure Max is just as fast, I’m sure some people will disagree and ultimately, we’ll never know until you see them in the same car.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd position, congratulates Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, in Parc Ferme

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd position, congratulates Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“But, from everything I can see of Lando, I don’t see a faster racing driver out there.

“What’s exciting is Oscar [Piastri] can match him. As he gets more experience I think he’ll match him more often.”

Brown also believes Norris will now “take yet another step forwards” in terms of his personal results after clinching his first F1 win in his 110 GP starts, following a series of near-misses back in 2021.

“For sure,” said Brown. “There’s something about when drivers get their first win.

“I remember from when I got my first win, now you know you’ve done it [the first win] just relaxes drivers and they don’t have to try as hard. In anything, you can try too hard and that kind of works against you.”

Norris’s first F1 victory follows his decision early in 2024 to sign another contract extension with McLaren.

This ties him to the team for almost a decade, from the start of his F1 career until the contract ends in 2027.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Brown said Norris was “very loyal” but had been convinced to re-sign by McLaren’s efforts to improve its initially disappointing 2023 F1 car into what ended up being a sprint race winner with Piastri, plus the work of then first-year team principal Andrea Stella.

“People need to be loyal to their careers, but loyalty will only take you so far,” said Brown.

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“But I think he saw the turnaround we made last year, with his belief in Andrea Stella, his belief in the entire team – it’s family, he loves the McLaren brand.

“But, most importantly, I think he has confidence we’re going to give him a race-winning car and last weekend, we did. That has only raised his confidence even further.”



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How the mutual faith between Norris and McLaren F1 is finally paying off

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Norris’ journey with McLaren goes back way further than that, with CEO Zak Brown taking a personal interest in the Briton’s career even before he joined the Woking squad’s young driver programme in 2017, aged 16.

«I regard Lando as a fabulous prospect,» Brown said at the time. «He blew the doors off his rivals in not one but three highly competitive race series last year, then capped that by establishing himself as the clear winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.»

And while some doubted the wisdom of Norris being fast-tracked into a McLaren seat in 2019, at the tender age 18, he quickly showed he belonged, going on to match Carlos Sainz as the team rallied from its disastrous Honda years.
Norris steadily built up a bank of podium finishes, but wins were never on the cards against the might of Mercedes and Red Bull, other than a near-miss at the wet 2021 Russian Grand Prix.

The race went haywire for Norris after a botched strategy call cost him a likely maiden win, and it was long unfairly used as a stick to beat Norris with, allegedly a sign of him buckling under the pressure on those rare occasions when the highest prize came within reach.

Brown and Norris’s team bosses — first Andreas Seidl, then Andrea Stella — consistently waved away any criticism on their golden child, even though a self-critical Norris was often the first to slate himself for various mistakes in qualifying over the past two seasons, singling out his consistency as a key weakness he addressed over the past winter.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Erik Junius

«Lando definitely stands together with them,» Stella explained before the start of this season. «It is the same category of world championship material, the underlying talent, the mindset, the work ethos. It’s all ready to go.»

That’s why McLaren was so adamant to ensure it would complete its shared journey with Norris to the top, handing him generous contract renewals to fend off frequent interest from Red Bull, with his latest extension in January this year tying Norris to the squad «beyond the 2026 season».

Their shared history also explains why Norris’ win in Miami, his 16th podium with the team but arguably his first proper opportunity with a winning car, created such a jolt of electricity through the Hard Rock Stadium paddock. While Daniel Ricciardo’s win in Monza 2021 was equally celebrated by the papaya team, this one ‘hit different’, as the internet saying goes.

«Yes, this feels a bit personal. This feels really special. He’s been with us from day one. He’s had so many second places, it’s good to get this one done,» Brown told broadcaster Viaplay.

While McLaren never doubted its faith in Norris and is starting to repay it, conversely Norris would have had several reasons to look over the fence and deeply consider Christian Horner’s repeat advances.

On F1’s switch to 2022’s ground-effect-based regulations, McLaren missed the mark and lost out to Alpine in the fight for fourth, with Norris taking McLaren’s only podium in Imola.

The start of 2023, however, was McLaren’s true nadir, turning up with a car that it already knew had sent it up the wrong development path.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his trophy

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his trophy

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Following 2022’s lack of progress, Brown had already appointed Stella to take over from Seidl as team principal, with technical director James Key replaced in March 2023 by a three-pronged leadership structure as it awaited other infrastructure projects coming to fruition.

It was a lean period that seriously challenged Norris’ belief in McLaren being the team that could fulfil his ambitions. And while it was thought unlikely that he would leave the team he called his home for money or other non-sporting reasons, at some point McLaren would have to come good on its on-track promises.

«It’s tough because I’m a competitive guy and I want to win. Of course, at times you think what could you do in order to get into the position earlier,» Norris said at the start of 2023 about exploring his options.

«But also, I’m very comfortable with where I am right now. I have definitely not lost faith in the team that I’m part of and I’m very happy to be part of the journey to hopefully getting back to winning championships and winning races.

«I have the patience to wait out those few more years.»

McLaren’s rapid — if not unprecedented — progress towards the latter half of 2023 vindicated Norris’ belief in Brown and Stella to turn things around, but the prospect of a free Red Bull seat in 2025 again tested their bond last winter.

Still, Norris turned down the best seat in the paddock for 2025 by re-signing in January, giving McLaren another vote of confidence that it can be as well equipped as anyone to come out ahead of the 2026 regulations changes.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

«It’s the thing I’m happiest about with getting the contract out,» Norris said. «They are now even more assured that I’m committed to the team and that I’ve picked McLaren over, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, whatever team, it could have been.

«Where am I most confident that I can actually achieve a world championship? If you asked me at the beginning of 2023, maybe it wouldn’t have been McLaren.

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«But now I think I’m more confident than ever in saying it’s going to be McLaren.”

A landmark Miami win for Norris and McLaren may have come with some caveats, and it is still some way of regularly challenging Red Bull, but it is the latest sign their mutual faith is starting to pay off.



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Who is Lando Norris, F1’s newest grand prix winner?

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The McLaren driver crossed the line 7.6 seconds clear of the all-conquering Max Verstappen, converting a strategy in which he went long on the medium-compound tyres and pouncing on a safety car to cycle out ahead of the three-time world champion.

Dispelling the disappointment of his 2021 near-miss at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Norris’ victory appeared to be a popular one among the rest of the grid — and the Briton received much in the way of congratulations from his adversaries as he completed arguably his most memorable saunter into parc ferme.

PLUS: The factors that mean Norris’ Miami win can’t be cast as a safety car fluke

«I’ve always had respect for everyone I race against, from the top to the bottom of every category that I’ve gone through since karting,» Norris said. «I’ve always had respect for my competitors and the people I raced against. And I’ve always said that. So as much as when you put the helmet on you hate them, and you want to beat them, and you don’t care who’s who, I’ve always had respect for the people I’ve raced against. 

«So when anyone comes up [to me], especially people who have achieved a lot, because it always means a little bit more. So when Lewis, Fernando, Max, Charles, Carlos, whenever they come up to you or people have good words for you, I appreciate those things a lot. Because from these people, it means something. They’re the people who know what it takes to achieve these types of things, for the work, the time, the effort that goes into doing something like this.»

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, embraces Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, to congratulate him on his race win

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, embraces Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, to congratulate him on his race win

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Born in the port city of Bristol, situated between the mouth of the River Avon and River Severn, Norris is in his sixth season of racing in F1 for McLaren — with whom he shares a lengthy association. The Woking outfit signed Norris to its young driver squad at the start of 2017, ahead of his sole season in the now-defunct FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

Contrary to popular belief, Norris was not — he says — named after Star Wars character Lando Calrissian. Half-Belgian thanks to his mother Cisca, Norris nonetheless races under the British flag and grew up in the Somerset town of Glastonbury, known for its yearly music festival held in nearby Pilton. This allowed him to become a day-boarder at Millfield, a private school known for its contribution to sports — and where fellow racing driver Sam Bird was also educated. 

Initially not interested in racing, Norris started watching F1 with his father Adam — a Bristol-based businessman — and started to develop a keenness for it. After his victory in Miami, Norris paid tribute to his family for its support throughout his racing career — and to his grandmother over the team radio.

«I spoke to my mum and my dad already, which is always nice. Normally my dad comes to the races, but not today, so I’m sure he’s regretting that just a little bit. My parents have been so supportive. You know, they’re the ones who are with you from the start. They allowed everything to happen. They’re the ones that got me into racing, supported me, and allowed me to get to Formula 1, reach my dream, and do what I’ve loved to do since I was a kid. 

«And I’m very fortunate for everything that they’ve done and the position they’ve allowed me to be in. You think of those moments, and therefore, of course, I want to speak to my mum and dad, first of all, because you shared all those moments with them. And I just say a big thanks. And for my grandma, because she’s not been so well lately. I saw her last week, and I told her that I was going to win a race. I didn’t say when. I just said I was going to win a race. And I didn’t think it would be coming this soon. So I’m just very happy that I was able to do it as quickly as I did.»

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, kisses the winners trophy

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, kisses the winners trophy

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Also exposed to racing through the Gran Turismo video game series, Norris had the racing bug truly sinking its teeth into him when he was taken along with his brother Ollie to watch the karting British Championships at Clay Pigeon, the karting course near Dorchester where Jenson Button first started to race. 

«Me being me, I wanted to have a go!,» Norris told the Formula 2 website in 2018. «Soon after, I got a Bambino go-kart to drive around at home, and it started there…»

Norris picked up karting and, by 2013, he was competing on a global stage. There, he won the Junior class of the CIK-FIA European Championship — the same year Max Verstappen won the higher KF2 category — and went on to take victory in the CIK-FIA World Championship in 2014.

What is Norris’ junior racing record?

Alongside his Karting World Championship efforts, Norris started competing in the Ginetta Juniors Championship, a series on the support package of the British Touring Car Championship. At the age of 14 Norris was now exposed to a UK TV audience and behind the wheel of a Ginetta G40 in a full circuit race for the first time. Initially, Norris was only supposed to take part in the second half of the season, but ended up competing in the full championship — where he finished third behind future GT racers Jack Mitchell and James Kellett.

Norris moved to another of the BTCC’s undercard events in 2015: MSA Formula — built from the ashes of the defunct British Formula Ford Championship as the FIA rolled out its Formula 4 class worldwide. This was the first time Norris drove for Carlin, and he beat Ricky Collard and Colton Herta to the title to earn a move to the Formula Renault 2.0 championship.

Lando Norris

Lando Norris

Photo by: Daniel James Smith

His campaign there was preceded by the New Zealand-based Toyota Racing Series in the spring of 2016, which Norris won convincingly over former karting rival Jehan Daruvala. Titles in Formula Renault 2.0’s Eurocup and NEC championships followed, driving for Josef Kaufmann’s team, prior to his reunion with Carlin for a stab at the 2017 Formula 3 European Championship.

Having marked himself as a star of the future with his sweep of championship wins, Norris was signed to the McLaren Young Driver programme, which was one of new CEO Zak Brown’s first points of business after taking over at McLaren. Against stern competition from second-year driver Joel Eriksson and third-year racer Maximilian Guenther, Norris chalked up nine victories to claim another title with two races to spare — naturally winning the rookies’ championship in the process.

Lando Norris, Carlin Dallara F317 - Volkswagen

Lando Norris, Carlin Dallara F317 — Volkswagen

Photo by: FIA F3 / Suer

This elevated Norris into Formula 2, which had introduced its new F2 2018 chassis. Carlin had left the series, then known as GP2, at the end of 2016 but had re-entered the championship a year later, Norris being partnered by Sergio Sette Camara at the British squad. A one-off for Campos at the end of 2017 gave Norris a taster of what to expect, and the Briton continued to deliver in the early tests to mark himself out as a championship contender. Ahead of his first full year in F2, Norris competed in the Daytona 24 Hours alongside Fernando Alonso and Philip Hanson for United Autosports — the endurance racing team owned by Brown.

Considered as one of the best seasons of F2 thanks to its depth of talent, 2018 was contested by Norris, who won the Bahrain opener, ART’s George Russell, and Anglo-Thai driver Alex Albon — who converted a race-by-race deal with DAMS into a full season thanks to a strong start to the championship.

Despite opening strongly in securing the feature race victory in the Bahrain season opener (his last victory in any category before his Miami GP win) Norris did not reach the top step again in 2018 and retained his position in the championship hunt through consistency — although a puncture in the rain-affected Sochi round ended his championship hopes before the field diverted to its Yas Marina finale. Russell claimed the crown when Albon was taken out in a start-line incident following a stall, a frequent feature of the 2018 F2 car owing to a series of clutch issues. 

Lando Norris, Carlin

Lando Norris, Carlin

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Regardless, Norris impressed sufficiently in F2 and in a series of FP1 sessions for McLaren to earn a step up to F1 in 2019 — replacing Stoffel Vandoorne at the team.

How has Norris performed in F1?

Norris was partnered by Carlos Sainz in 2019, the Spaniard signed to replace compatriot Fernando Alonso in the latter’s first retirement from F1. The two quickly formed a firm friendship, and combined to help McLaren move back up the grid after a series of lean years with Honda powertrains and problematic cars.

In his first F1 race at Albert Park, Norris qualified eighth and finished 12th, and followed that up with his first points through finishing sixth in Bahrain. He amassed 49 points in his maiden season as McLaren made great strides forward with its MCL34, almost half of Sainz’s tally that year. His second season proved more felicitous despite the impact of COVID, and he claimed a maiden podium at the Red Bull Ring opener. This time, he finished just eight points behind Sainz, ahead of the Madrid-born driver’s move to Ferrari in 2021.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1, and Lando Norris, McLaren, celebrate on the podium after the race

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1, and Lando Norris, McLaren, celebrate on the podium after the race

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Contracted at McLaren for a third season, Norris was partnered with Daniel Ricciardo for 2021 — which was billed as his most serious test in F1 given the Australian was still highly rated at the time. However, Norris outperformed the ex-Red Bull driver and claimed all but one of the team’s five podium finishes — albeit the one that would have likely stung the most. In a zany Italian Grand Prix where title adversaries Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crashed at the chicane, Ricciardo assumed the lead — and Norris directed to play rear gunner against the chasing Valtteri Bottas. McLaren thus secured its first 1-2 finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

Norris had his own opportunity to win at the next race at Sochi, and took his first pole from Sainz. Although the Ferrari driver snatched the lead at the start, Norris reclaimed it on the 13th lap and managed the race well — keeping Lewis Hamilton at bay until rain started to fall. Hamilton took the opportunity to pit for intermediates while Norris, anticipating a short shower, elected to stay out. That call proved to be hubristic, and he lost a lot of time to Hamilton while struggling on the slicks — and eventually aquaplaned off the circuit to throw away a shot at victory.

Lando Norris, McLaren, comiserates with himself after the race

Lando Norris, McLaren, commiserates with himself after the race

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Although Norris committed his long-term future to McLaren, its first foray into the ground-effect regulations mandated for 2022 was not entirely successful and he managed just one podium finish all year — at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. 2023 started out even more disastrously, with just 12 points scored in the opening eight races, but Norris benefitted from a vastly improved car at the Austria round to ignite a season where he claimed seven grand prix podiums. His first victory had to wait once more when Oscar Piastri won out in the Qatar sprint.

That brings us to 2024, and Norris’ best career start to an F1 championship season with three podiums — including his Miami Grand Prix victory. After walking away from China with second place, Norris had the unwanted record of holding the most podiums — 15 — without a win. This record now returns to Nick Heidfeld.

Podium: race winner David Coulthard, McLaren, second place Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, third place Nick Heidfeld, Sauber

Podium: race winner David Coulthard, McLaren, second place Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, third place Nick Heidfeld, Sauber

Photo by: Motorsport Images

How does Norris approach racing in F1?

In speaking to the media, Norris has often exhibited a self-deprecative and cautious approach when discussing his chances. Even after good results, it appears he is a natural pessimist — and instead draws attention to his own weaknesses rather than opting for self-aggrandisement. Speaking about this after his Miami win, Norris stated that this is a source of motivation.

«I have my times when I’m happy with what I’m able to go out and do. I’m just one of those guys that I’m not happy when I know I’ve not done the job I’m capable of doing,» he said. And [this win] shows what I’m capable of doing. I think all year I’ve done a very good job. And I’ve worked hard and I’ve eliminated and got rid of a lot of my weaknesses.

«I’m still going to be that guy. I don’t think that’s going to change. That’s what works for me. That’s my mindset. Everyone has their own way of doing things, their own approach, their own way that they talk to themselves and think of: how can I approach today? How can I go out and do the best job? For me, it’s talking down at myself and kind of putting myself down because for me that’s what works and I’m fine with that. 

«I don’t need other people to be happy with it and for other people to agree with it. It’s what’s best for me, and what works best is what’s made me who I am and I think that’s my best way of going forward. So I’m going to have my days when the glass is full and I can be happy and I’m proud of myself. Everyone’s going to have those days and everyone should have those days. But in order to make myself the best man, the best driver, I have my way of doing things and I stick to that.»

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, lifts the trophy in celebration on the podium

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, lifts the trophy in celebration on the podium

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

What does Norris do outside of racing — and what’s next in F1?

In 2020, Norris set up Quadrant — a company that focuses on «racing, gaming, clothing and content» with multiple streamers, and has since received investment from YouTuber Will Lenney. Much of the company’s involvement expands into Esports and the sale of clothing, but it will expand into an athlete support programme.

He has also cultivated a following through streaming on Twitch, which he has also used for charitable endeavours — raising money for COVID response funds and mental health charity Mind. He also plays golf, playing in various Pro-Am tournaments — notably the Netflix Cup held ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023.

Norris has a long-term contract with McLaren, which spans until the end of the 2027 season. It is known that he has held talks with Red Bull previously on more than one occasion, but has ultimately committed to McLaren following them. 

McLaren has committed to Mercedes power for the incoming powertrain regulatory overhaul in 2026, with a deal that extends to 2030. 



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