Lando Norris started the Russian GP 2021 in pole position after a perfectly timed tire change in qualifying, which gave him the front spot on the grid. The race was underway and Norris immediately lost his lead to Lewis Hamilton, who was undoubtedly hunting for his 100th F1 win but regained his lead later on with an impressive defense against the charging Mercedes.
A late rain at the Sochi circuit meant the track conditions got trickier and Lando Norris had to make the decision of pitting for the right tires. He was absolutely confident as he rejected the idea of new tires, and disaster struck as he spun out only a few laps, converting what could’ve been an easy win to a meager 7th position.
Norris’ startling plan revealed amidst winning drought
Snap back to 2023 and his most recent teammate had an absolute banger of a Saturday during the Qatar GP. Oscar Piastri grabbed pole in the shootout, followed by a fantastic win in the sprint race. Lando Norris has been at McLaren for years now; however, the young Brit has yet to claim his name. He has been awfully close many times, but all he could manage was a second, never the top step of the podium.
In a recent interview, Lando Norris was explaining how he committed numerous mistakes during the Qatar GP that cost him a potential win and made him lose to his teammate. “If I want to be honest with myself, I should have fought for two pole positions this weekend and potentially two victories“.
While fans are accustomed to Lando’s hilarious comments, they were definitely not prepared for what came next. Nico Rosberg had finally won a championship after intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton in 2016 and shockingly left the stardom of F1. Lando quoted Nico’s actions in his own manner: “I am gonna retire next year, to be honest. Rosberg retired after his first championship. I am going to retire after my first win,” while interacting with Russell.
Lando Norris moves up to sixth place with four consecutive podiums
The disqualification of Lewis Hamilton in the US GP meant that Lando Norris would procure a 2nd place in the US GP, i.e., his 100th F1 race and also his 100th race with McLaren. This makes a 4 in a row for Lando Norris, who has capitalized very well on the recent pace of McLaren with an improved MCL60. His recent performance has earned him a lot of respect from Max Verstappen, who wants to be extra careful about Lando and McLaren’s progress, while some F1 pundits believe Lando can win a race and beat the Red Bulls literally.
Lando Norris securing four consecutive podiums means that he has now moved up to 6th place in the drivers championship, replacing Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who also got kicked out of points post race.
The British driver has immense talent and while his peers have gone on to win races in Formula 1, Lando is still winless. What do you think is going to be Lando’s future with McLaren catching up to Red Bull in the later stages of the season? Tell us in the comments.
