Lando Norris has a special connection with Imola. The Briton has bagged podiums in his last 2 outings at the historic Italian racetrack. Therefore, fans will expect the driver to make a hattrick of podiums and end McLaren’s 2023 woes.
While the Briton is aware of the MCL60’s pace handicap, McLaren is pumped up about the upcoming race. They posted a throwback video on their Instagram, sharing clips from Norris’s podiums over Drake’s 2015 number “Back to Back.”
The video features Norris celebrating on the podium as the verse, “Yeah, goin’ back to back.
I got the drink in me goin’ back to back,” kicks in. The Briton shared the video on his story, as he prepares for his return to the circuit where he has a favorable track record.
Lando Norris’s track record at Imola
Lando Norris has enjoyed 2 successful outings in Imola having secured a podium in both races. In 2021 Emilia Romagna GP, Norris completed the podium, finishing 3rd behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. This was the Briton’s second F1 podium after the 2020 Austrian GP.
The driver repeated the feat in 2022, securing 3rd and his latest podium. The Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished 1-2. This was also the only instance where a driver outside the top-3 teams secured a podium in the 2022 season.
If you count the McLaren driver’s P2 in the 2021 Italian GP, then he has achieved 3 of his 6 F1 podiums in Italy. However, after a miserable start to the season, it seems unlikely that Norris will be able to repeat his past season’s heroics.
Can Lando Norris secure a podium in the 2023 Emilia Romagna GP?
McLaren and Lando Norris have suffered a dismal start to the 2023 campaign. The Briton has secured only 10 points from the first 5 races of the season, thanks to a P6 in Melbourne and P9 in Baku. He has finished 17th in the remaining 3 races.
The MCL60 has been criticized for being slow compared to its rivals. Norris claims the likes of Alfa Romeo, Alpine, and Haas have outperformed the Woking-based team based on the last race in Miami.
The driver claims the recent upgrades have not improved the car’s performance. He said, in an article with PlanetF1, “It’s optimized and everything works as it should. But all the other problems we have, and days like today only make the difficulties even greater. It helps with a few tenths here and there, but it won’t change the car.”
With a slow car, it will be difficult for Norris to secure points, shattering his hopes for a hattrick of podiums in Imola.
