Lando Norris addresses ‘the crap’ for ‘being in a good car and not winning a race’
Lando Norris and the McLaren logo
McLaren driver Lando Norris has dismissed the suggestion that his temperament is holding him back from being more successful in F1, acknowledging that he gets “a lot of crap for being in a good car and not winning.”
Norris, who claimed his maiden F1 victory at the 110th time of asking at last month’s Miami Grand Prix, claimed his second career pole position at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Lando Norris addresses F1 temperament concerns
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
However, he cut a frustrated figure at the end of the race after a poor start saw him drop to third – behind Mercedes’ George Russell and eventual victory Max Verstappen – at the first corner.
The McLaren driver’s latest lost win came just a fortnight after Norris finished second to Verstappen after he and McLaren missed the opportune moment to pit behind the Safety Car in Canada, having opened up a healthy eight-second lead at one stage.
Norris was famously denied his first win at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, the scene of his only previous pole, where a late rain shower at the Sochi circuit saw him drop to seventh after he opted against pitting for wet tyres.
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Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring – a venue where Verstappen has won on five previous occasions – Norris has insisted that nerves have “no effect” on him now he’s competing for regular victories.
He said: “I’ve only won one race. I think everything becomes relative to what you know you’re able to achieve.
“I think the reason I was just a bit more frustrated last weekend is because that small thing cost me. My starts have been good so it’s not like I can even say: ‘Ah, I’ve messed up the whole thing.’
“And I know I get a lot of crap for potentially being in a good car and not winning a race, but there’s many cases where people are in quicker cars and don’t win races.
“It’s a little bit more nerves and things that come with it, but honestly it has no effect on [me].
“When you’re in position and you’re thinking of the lights going out, you don’t care about it. You forget all of these things.
“You just think: ‘OK, I need to react as quickly as I can and race as best I can.’
“By that point, the outside world has no influence on what I did or what I choose to do or how I react. And if anything, some of my best races have been those ones.
“There’s definitely a bit more nerves, but I’m sure if I compare my Sochi radio to now it’s completely different.
“I was very happy to not even think about trying to race the Mercedes and just thinking about Max and I think we then went on to make the perfect strategy call for that.
“I couldn’t have covered George, so I had no opportunity to – even if people think I could have done.
“And I think that mindset was the correct mindset to have. At the same time, I could have easily gone a bit more panicked – ‘yes, let’s cover him, let’s try to do this’ – and it wouldn’t have worked out.
“I think I’m much more calm and relaxed actually in this position than what I was a few years ago.
“And I’m definitely not saying I’m perfect, I have plenty of things I need to work on.
“But from from an outside influence of being in this position, you’re just more hungry to win and therefore you’re more disappointed when you don’t. I think it’s as simple as saying that.
“And a win in Formula 1 means an incredible amount, because that’s what I’ve dreamt of doing since I was a kid.
“So I guess it just means a bit more behind the scenes, but apart from that you do the most you can every single time.”
Norris collected his first F1 podium finish in Austria in 2020, equalling his third-place result at the same race in 2021.