“I hate that saying to be honest”: 23-year-old Lando Norris doesn’t like ‘best of the rest’ tag put to his name

Lando Norris is one of the brightest young talents in F1 and his career has been on the ascendency since he made his debut back in 2019. Norris has spent the entirety of his career so far with McLaren and it’s a team he has learned to call home. Despite his dazzling performances, McLaren hasn’t been able to present him with a car that can challenge for the World Championship.

In 2021, they were in the battle for P3 alongside Ferrari but whereas the Scuderia went on to challenge for race wins in 2022, they fell to P5. McLaren spent the campaign locked in a fight for fourth place alongside Alpine and lost out on it in the end. Norris, however, did the best he could, finishing P7 in the Drivers’ Championship, behind the drivers of the top three teams.

The fact that Norris outperformed everyone else other than the Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull drivers earned him the tag of ‘best of the rest’. This was given to him by Sky Sports‘ presenter Simon Lazenby after the finale. The McLaren star, however, is not a fan of the tag. In fact, he admitted that he hates the saying.

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Lando Norris wants to move to the front of the grid in 2023

‘Best of the rest’ is a name that is given to the driver who finishes just behind the ones fighting for the Title. In 2021, it was Carlos Sainz who took P5 in the Championship, finishing just behind the Red Bull and Mercedes driver, so journalists gave him that tag. This year, it was Norris’ turn to be labeled as the same.

“I hate that saying, to be honest, mate,” Norris said.

A driver of Norris’ caliber won’t want to fight behind the best teams for very long. The 23-year-old has his sights firmly set on the front of the grid, and he wants McLaren to help him get there as soon as possible.

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Will Norris stay at McLaren or leave?

Norris signed a contract with McLaren ahead of the 2022 season. The Bristol-born driver will stay in Woking until at least the 2025 season but this decision was made before their underwhelming 2022 campaign kicked off.

Norris admitted that he had talks with Red Bull, but decided to renew his contract with McLaren instead. If McLaren doesn’t reach the front of the grid very soon, other top teams may turn to Norris and promise him a better car.