“Lando Wanted to See If We Were Awake”: McLaren Boss Jokes About Norris Almost Crashing in Singapore GP

Lando Norris bounced back from a difficult Azerbaijan GP weekend by winning in Singapore on Sunday. He crossed the chequered flag in P1 after dominating the race, and things got so easy at one point that Norris reportedly made errors, just to get his team’s attention.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella spoke with Sky Sports after the Singapore GP pointed out Norris making some mistakes during the race. However, he was so flawless, that Stella felt Norris did it to check if his team was monitoring his race.

“We thought that maybe Lando wanted to see if we were awake at the wall. We didn’t need it, we were absolutely awake,” he said.

Bringing them home to the MTC. #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/pYhNOhHzDs

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 23, 2024

There wasn’t a lot of information for McLaren to relay to Norris, since his race was seamless, and there was no one on his tail. The #4 driver was over 25 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in P2, turning the tables on the Dutchman who had grown used to winning by such dominant gaps since 2022.

Stella further emphasized that Norris did a commendable job, particularly because of how difficult a track Singapore is. He kept his concentration, and brought home an important win for the Woking-based outfit.

McLaren on its way to championship glory

The last time McLaren won the Constructors’ championship was back in 1998. Now, they have an opportunity to do it again, with Norris’ P1 and Oscar Piastri’s P3 in Singapore putting them 41 points ahead of Red Bull in the standings.

McLaren’s title charge is impressive mainly because they started the 2024 season as the third-fastest team on the grid behind Ferrari and Red Bull. But with strong development and consistently good driving on Norris and Piastri’s part, the papaya squad assembled a title-winning squad.

With six races remaining, the Constructors’ title remains McLaren’s to lose. Norris, on the other hand, may not get Drivers’ championship glory just yet. Even though the gap to leader Verstappen is just 52 points, six races could prove to be too little time for him to close it.