Celebrating his first-ever F1 podium back in 2020, McLaren’s Lando Norris had an unusual approach when it came to emptying the massive champagne bottle given to him. Instead of drinking the contents of the bottle, the Briton opted to pour it all over himself, making for an interesting watch. Addressing the same in his Biography, written by Ben Hunt, Norris revealed the reason behind the deed.
“I poured a bottle of champagne over my head on the podium because I didn’t want to drink it. I find alcohol pretty disgusting.”, stated Norris.
McLaren’s Lando Norris is the third youngest podium finisher of all-time and set his first career fastest lap on the last lap (Austrian GP 2020). pic.twitter.com/2Nmon37Jvr
— Osservatore Sportivo (@OsOfficialF1) July 7, 2022
With Lewis Hamilton serving a five-second penalty in the 2020 season opener, all Norris had to do was close the gap enough to oust his fellow countryman from the podium. The McLaren driver did exactly that, securing an impressive P3 and his first-ever podium finish, sharing the stage with Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas.
Carlos Sainz made things a little tricky for Norris in the latter half of the race, often overtaking Norris, but the Briton kept his calm and was able to outlast the challenge from his teammate before stepping onto the podium.
From here on out, Norris has never looked back. The Briton has only improved while driving for McLaren and now stands as one of the prime contenders to win a world championship in the future. The 24-year-old has become the face of McLaren, but the Woking-based team needs to step up their game even further and hand the Briton a race-winning car to keep him at bay while other teams try to poach him.
Lando Norris has quickly become the ideal choice
For the longest time, reports kept coming in of Red Bull showing deep interest in securing the services of Norris for their team, seeing how good the Briton has been in McLaren.
Certain reports even suggested he had an “open invitation” to join the team, but a resurgent McLaren team changed his outlook. However, there might still be some doubt in Norris’ mind, especially given he has yet to win a race. The Briton has often finished second-best, coming close to the feat on several occasions.
ℹ️ “There was vague talks some weeks ago that Red Bull was looking to buy Lando Norris out of his McLaren contract in order for him to race alongside Verstappen in 2024” according to Joe Saward’s latest notebook.
“I am told that in the end Lando decided against it” pic.twitter.com/6Qy2hbmyMY
— McLaren News | (@McLarenF1_News) October 26, 2023
Given the same, McLaren ensured Norris they would soon have a championship-worthy car ready for him. The 2024 season looks like the earliest possible timeline for the same.
Having suddenly become the second-fastest team in the latter races of 2023, Norris has renewed faith in the McLaren program. He would now hope to drive a car that can reduce the gap to Max Verstappen and vie for race wins.
