Lando Norris in 2024
Lando Norris’ loyalty to McLaren has been rewarded with the best car he has driven in his F1 career, and it has arguably helped him to his best season in F1 so far. The first few races before the season-defining updates were tough for Norris and McLaren. The then 23-year-old failed to score any points during the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which included the British drivers' second-ever Q1 elimination at Saudi Arabia. A chaotic Australian Grand Prix gave Norris his first points of the season as he finished sixth. However, another poor showing at the Miami Grand Prix highlighted how far behind expectations McLaren were, as Norris finished 17th.
However, as the season entered Austria, it was a turning point for McLaren. Norris took full advantage of the improved and updated car, taking P4 in the main race on Sunday after finishing ninth during Saturday’s sprint race. At his home race at Silverstone, he qualified in second, a career best, which he turned into a P2 finish, becoming the first McLaren driver to finish on the podium at the British Grand Prix since Lewis Hamilton in 2010.
McLaren's form continued into the 2024 Formula 1 season. Norris received an upgraded car for the Miami Grand Prix, and he went on to win the event with a seven-second lead. He benefited from a timely safety car but also had the pace to create the gap. His win produced one of the biggest early season party atmospheres within the Formula 1 paddock.
Lando Norris biography
Norris competed in many series before moving to the world of F1 and its junior series, gaining a wealth of experience that started in 2014 when he was just 14 years old. 2017 was the year he made his move to F1’s junior series, getting behind the wheel for Carlin in the FIA F3 European Championship. After finishing on the podium in 20 out of the 30 races and taking nine wins in the season, he wrapped up the title with two races left, earning his fifth racing championship in four years.
That superb season gave Norris his opportunity in F2 during the 2018 season, as he joined Carlain’s F2 team. He repaid their faith in the opening race of the season, winning from the pole in Bahrain. It would be his only win of the season, but consistent points scoring and podium finishes earned him second in the final standings behind George Russell.
McLaren make a move with Norris
In February 2017, Norris became McLaren’s junior driver and conducted many tests for the British team in 2017. For the 2018 season, he was promoted to become McLaren’s test and reserve driver. But 2019 was the season where he made the jump to F1, as he teamed up with Carlos Sainz for his first F1 season.
It was a positive showing from the British driver in his first year in the premier class of motorsport, with Norris scoring his first points in just his second race, taking P6 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, his first retirement was a race later, colliding with Daniil Kvyat at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Some unfortunate reliability issues caused Norris to retire from races in promising positions in his debut season, with a hydraulics issue causing him to miss out on a seventh place at the French Grand Prix. At the Belgian Grand Prix, Norris was on course for his best finish, but on the final lap, an engine failure meant he had to pull over and stop the car while in P5.
Despite these reliability issues that plagued his rookie season, Norris was still able to earn decent points finishes, earning a sixth place at the Austrian Grand Prix, along with reeling off three straight point finishes at the Italian, Singapore and Russian Grands Prix.
A few more reliability issues hindered Norris’ final stretch of the season, along with a collision with fellow rookie Alex Albon at the Japanese Grand Prix. But three consecutive points finishes ended a solid debut season for Norris, as he finished with 49 points, 47 less than his teammate Sainz. However, Norris out-qualified the Spaniard 11 times in the 21-race season, highlighting his lightning pace.
Continued consistency and added experience
Norris built on his 2019 season, improving in all aspects to have a more successful second season in 2020. His season got off to the perfect start in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. After Lewis Hamilton was given a five-second penalty, Norris closed the gap between him and Hamilton to 4.802 seconds after setting the race's fastest lap on the final lap, bumping Norris up to P3 and giving him his first podium in F1. He also became the third youngest podium-finisher in F1 history.
Norris backed that up with a P5 at the Styrian Grand Prix, in a performance that he quoted as “the best of his career”. The Brit managed to reel off six more point finishes in succession as the British driver emerged as one of the best drivers on the grid.
After earning all those points throughout the season, a fourth and fifth place at the Bahrain and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix meant McLaren took third place in the constructors’ championship over Racing Point, aided by the points collected by Sainz as well. Norris ended the season with 97 points in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, only eight points less than Sainz.
Knocking down milestones and resigning for McLaren
Norris continued with McLaren for the 2021 season with new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, giving him his highest points total in his F1 career. A P4 at the opening race at Bahrain was followed by his second podium finish, taking third at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Brit took another P3 finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas’ retirements assisting him to his third podium of the season.
More consistent results in the points, including three consecutive fifth-place finishes, meant Norris continued collecting a huge amount of points. After qualifying P2 at the Austrian Grand Prix, he earned his third podium of the season with a P3 finish. A fifth place in the new-format sprint qualifying and a fourth place during the race, both at the British Grand Prix, sent Norris up to third in the rivers’ standings. The Italian Grand Prix was another success for Norris and McLaren, as the Brit finished second behind teammate Ricciardo, giving McLaren their first one-two finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.
The Russian Grand Prix was another milestone for Norris, as he took his first-ever pole position in changeable conditions in qualifying. Unfortunately, while leading the race, a poor strategy call from the 23-year-old meant he stayed out on slick tyres for too long as the rain came at the end of the race, resulting in Norris spinning out of first and having to pit afterwards, dropping to P7 at the races’ end.
The season ended with Norris scoring points in the remaining seven races, although he could not finish above seventh. But his consistent scoring and superb pace throughout the season gave him 160 points, finishing 6th, just 4.5 points behind former teammate Sainz in the Ferarri. Norris’ success earned him a contract extension with McLaren, signing a multi-year deal with the team until 2025.
2022 wasn’t as successful for Norris and McLaren, with the Brit only scoring three top-five and one podium finish, which came at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, his consistency shone through yet again, and his ability to maximise the potential out of the car meant he finished seventh in the drives’ standings with 122 points, scoring 85 more than Ricciardo.
Lando Norris's popularity
Lando Norris is arguably one of the most popular F1 personalities on the grid, with his dry and humourous personality earning him many fans. He has many different social media accounts on different platforms, which many fans follow, including a streaming channel on Twitch. Norris is also involved with a YouTube channel called Quadrant, which involves F1 Youtubers and former F3 driver and friend Max Fewtrell. The channel has nearly 700,000 subscribers.
What is Lando Norris’ greatest strength as an F1 driver?
Lando Norris has one of the most complete driving styles throughout the grid. His strategy and tyre-saving work are always positive. But his ability to battle hard and maximise everything he can out of his McLaren in any weather condition is perhaps considered by many to be his greatest strength. This strength has helped him earn two 100+ point finishes in his career, and it's why many tip him to earn a world title in the coming years.
