Lando Norris had the chance to maximize his 2023 season on two occasions during the Qatar GP this year. However, during both the Sprint Shootout and Qualifying for the Grand Prix, the Brit came up short and missed out on the pole to his teammate and Max Verstappen, respectively. Now, the 23-year-old Briton has come out on record to express his plight and how he rues the missed opportunities when he was arguably better placed than the mighty Verstappen, per reports on Motorsport Total as disseminated by Junaid on Twitter.
Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have proved to be big assets for McLaren. The duo have been on the top of their respective games all along. While Norris has always had that edge over Piastri, the Australian rookie has given the Briton a run for his money on multiple occasions this season. The Qatar GP being a prime example where Piastri secured his first F1 win during the Sprint Race while Norris still searches for his maiden triumph.
🎙️: penalties for exceeding track limits, lan-DO or lan-NO?
lando: lan hell lan-no
he got trauma from qatar 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/Vk8CVqMxzi
— Ray 🏎️ (@ln4norris) October 22, 2023
Needless to say, the young McLaren poster boy has been beating himself up over his own gaffes that meant both Verstappen and Piastri out-performed him at the Lusail International Circuit.
Lando Norris tears into himself after letting Verstappen and Piastri get the better of him
The media can always be a very hard aspect of the job F1 drivers have to do. Naturally, when Norris was presented with a mic, he was asked why he was always so critical of himself in times of distress. Norris, however, took the question on his chin as he gave a straight and honest response.
He said (as quoted on Twitter), “If you possibly have the only opportunity in a season, winning a race, I’m obviously hard on myself, but that doesn’t affect my mental side. When I got back in the car, my race on Sunday was very strong. I was one of the fastest on the track, faster as Max.”
Norris: “…..obviously hard on myself, but that doesn’t affect my mental side. When I got back in the car, my race on Sunday was very strong. I was one of the fastest on the track, faster as Max.”https://t.co/wBvTAwTp6l
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) October 22, 2023
Norris might not be able to fight for championship glory this season, with Verstappen having already run away with it all, but the Briton does expect to get at least his maiden F1 win under his belt with how pacey the rejuvenated MCL60 has been ever since the British GP.
Norris aims to get elusive F1 win at the Las Vegas GP
As things stand, the McLaren F1 team has possibly the second-fastest car on the grid after Red Bull. The troubles they faced earlier on in the season were ironed out by a big upgrade package at Silverstone. Since then, the team has only gone from strength to strength in terms of overall pace and efficiency.
The Singapore GP was their best bet at securing a win. Max Verstappen and Red Bull were struggling. Yet, it was the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz that clinched victory, with Norris following closely behind. Maybe the Scuderia were too well versed with the treacherous Marina Bay Circuit to plan their strategy out. But Las Vegas could throw a spanner in the works.
The 2023 Las Vegas GP would debut an all-new street circuit. Naturally, it would be an unknown quantity for all the teams involved. With pace and talent on the side of McLaren, the Woking-based team would be hoping to see Norris’ first GP victory come on the iconic Vegas strip soon.
