One of the biggest regrets of Lando Norris’ life is the refusal to pit for intermediate tires towards the end of the 2021 Russian GP. The decision cost him his first F1 race win. What further rubbed salt in the wounds was the fact that it also resulted in Lewis Hamilton’s 100th win. Norris looked back at the infamous moment in a 2022 interview with the High-Performance podcast.
Norris said, “Lewis, I think, it was his 100th race win. Then [that] just made me feel even worse like [I] just gave him his 100th race win. [I have] not even got one. You see one of those few cases where the outsiders won the race.”
“You got Mercedes and Red Bull who’re always going to win but when Esteban [Ocon] won the race in Budapest, Carlos [Sainz] won a race at some point. A few different drivers won in Mercedes or Red Bull [era]. That’s when it looks even cooler because they’re the people in my position.”, he added.
Lando Norris was miles ahead of the competition in Sochi and on the course to register his first race win. There was, however, a big twist coming up. The McLaren pit wall told Norris about the rain forecast towards the final laps of the race.
Once it started pouring, they asked him to pit for intermediate tires. The refusal on the Briton’s side proved costly as he struggled to keep the car on the track with slick tires and eventually lost.
Since then, Norris never got a real chance until the 2024 Miami GP. With the safety car playing into his hands and Max Verstappen struggling for grip after colliding with a bollard, stars aligned for the 24-year-old. The celebrations projected the tiring wait he had to endure for his first win.
Lando Norris hits back at haters
While the maiden win came after a long wait, podium finishes came in abundance for Lando Norris. It also brought with it a bittersweet record of the driver with the most podium finishes with no race wins. That tag made Norris subject to some heavy trolling as the trope of “Lando No Wins” became popular.
The McLaren driver hit back at the doubters in the most sublime fashion. Norris designed a clothing line that included hoodies and t-shirts to commemorate the Miami GP win. The message on the merchandise read, “Lando No Wins”, written in the same handwriting with which he was addressed a letter.
Love this new product drop from Lando Norris — embracing the haters head on.
Many joked that he was “Lando No Wins”.
Well, now, Lando Wins. pic.twitter.com/LE5qXzEk7V
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) May 9, 2024
The merchandise is available on the LN Store under the “We Did It” collection. From hoodies to t-shirts and scale helmets, fans can buy the commemorative memorabilia. The hoodie is priced at $90 while the t-shirt is retailing for $45. A 1:2 scale helmet costs $229 while a 1:5 model is available for $58.
