There are two very different sides to Lando Norris.
As one of Formula 1’s current golden generation of exceptionally talented young drivers, Norris’s laddish charm and his witty yet wholesome personality have won him almost as many fans as his exciting exploits behind the wheel have over his three-and-a-half years in the sport.
While the 22-year-old is one of Formula 1’s most recognisable and colourful characters, spend any considerable time in his presence and you’ll quickly discover he is just as much brains as he is banter.
Norris doesn’t care to conceal or mask his emotions. He’s deeply introspective. He can be so self-critical at times that it feels like he’s reluctant to give himself credit after what may seem like a good day out on track.
So when Norris stepped into the McLaren motorhome on a sweltering hot Hungarian Thursday to speak exclusively with RaceFans, both sides of his personality were on full display. Rocking his team hat backwards as he sat back into his chair, flashing his trademark cheeky grin, Norris carries himself with all the confidence of a young man whose long-term future in Formula 1 is assured. And with that comes the freedom to be frank in his assessment of McLaren’s performance this season.
“I guess, growing up, I was luckily always used to winning races and fighting for championships,” he explains. “You get to Formula 1 and it’s the opposite. You have to learn how not to win, almost.”
McLaren are fifth in the constructors’ championship behind Alpine – but it’s almost entirely thanks to Norris that they’re even fighting them at all. After taking third place together in 2020, Ferrari’s resurgence in 2021 meant McLaren fell back to fourth. With radical rules changes this season, there were hopes McLaren could take advantage and become more regular podium attendees. But when they rocked up at Bahrain at the start of the year with a major braking problem, it quickly became clear it would not be that kind of season.
“This year, we obviously got our hopes up,” Norris admits.
“Like, we’ve been on a good progression rate – the team’s in a very good position with personnel and people and we under-delivered on what we needed. So we started the year in a much trickier position than what we should have done. Therefore we’ve then been playing catch up – a big catch up, rather than little bits.”
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