Lando Norris Explains How He Handled the Pressure of Being the Driver With Most Podiums and No Wins

Lando Norris Explains How He Handled the Pressure of Being the Driver With Most Podiums and No Wins

For the longest time, Lando Norris held the unwanted record of having the most podiums in F1 without wins. That changed when he won the Miami GP earlier this year, but he had to deal with a lot of pressure until he stood on the top step of the podium.

In a recent event at the McLaren Technology Center, Norris said, “Formula 1 is simply not all about the driver. It’s one of very few sports in the world where it’s simply just the team and how you work with other partners.” 

“I can be the best driver in the world. But if the car is not quick enough, I can’t show that,” he added.

Norris stated that it took a lot of moving parts, and a bit of luck to make things happen on the track for McLaren. He had to keep his head down and focused on what he was tasked with doing – driving to the best of his abilities.

Norris then spoke about the 2021 Russian GP, where he lost out on a race win because of his poor decision-making. From the outside, it was easy to pin the blame on himself, Norris says. But a lot happened, that isn’t visible to the public. Still, he took the lion’s share of the blame for that particular call.

Norris shut his critics in style after the Miami GP win

Ahead of the Miami GP, McLaren was touted to be Red Bull’s closest rival. The upgraded MCL38 that day proved to be the better car. And Norris cruised to his maiden Grand Prix win, celebrating in style afterward.

The Bristol-born driver launched a special line of merchandise ‘Lando NoWins’ – a term people used to troll him in the past.

That wasn’t Norris’ only way of shutting critics. Because, after the Miami GP, Norris established himself as a true Title contender, and was right at the front, competing for wins and podiums regularly.

 

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Lando Norris McLaren

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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