Lando Norris finally won a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami last weekend. It was his 110th start, and it proved to be his most memorable.
Norris was coming under mounting pressure to break his duck. He admitted that his lack of victories had ‘become a thing’ after a viral heckle from one fan at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Social media trolls mocked the British driver for repeatedly falling short. They would flood his Instagram comments with the ‘Lando No-wins’ nickname, although he insists this only gave him more motivation.
The 24-year-old held the record for the most podium finishes (15) without standing on the top step. But there was only one race he felt he really should have won – the 2023 Qatar GP, when Oscar Piastri beat Max Verstappen in the sprint and McLaren were rapid.
He finished second behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo at the 2021 Italian GP, which had been McLaren’s only victory since his debut. He also failed to pass Carlos Sainz in the closing stages of last year’s Singapore GP as the Ferrari driver secured the only non-Red Bull victory of the season.
Norris has never really had the luxury of driving F1’s fastest car but did start on pole position for the 2021 Russian GP. He was poised to convert it until the team took the disastrous gamble to stay out on slicks as rain arrived late on.
Lando Norris warns F1 rivals that there’s plenty more to come
At last, Norris and McLaren have banished those demons. And based on the latest post on his Instagram story, he seems to have quickly developed a taste for winning.
He says he’s been ‘smiling’ since the safety-car restart in Miami, when he held off Verstappen and began to build his lead at the front. He ultimately won the race by around 7.5 seconds.
“Genuinely had the most insane couple of days of my life,” he said. “Still don’t know what to say but this was a dream since I was a kid.
“I literally haven’t stopped smiling since lap 33. So much hard work to achieve this and it all finally paid off.
“The support from all my team, the McLaren Papaya fans, other drivers and so so many more, I’ve appreciated every single little bit of it. Love you all.
“And after all of this,” Norris added before a pointed four-word message, “we’re just getting started.”
What did Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton say about first Lando Norris win?
Verstappen was magnanimous in what was an exceedingly rare defeat on Sunday. He could easily have blamed underbody damage on his Red Bull, or the mid-race safety car that played straight into Norris’ hands.
But instead he seemed genuinely happy for a driver who’s at once his competitor and his close friend. Perhaps it’s because he’s still so confident of easing to the championship, having won four of the first six races.
Lewis Hamilton, F1’s most successful driver, also commended Norris on his achievement. Karun Chandhok hailed a ‘class’ gesture when he pulled alongside him on the cool-down lap, and in his post-race interviews, he urged Norris to properly mark a ‘special’ milestone.
Even before Miami, ‘everyone in the paddock’ regarded Norris as one of the sport’s truly elite drivers alongside Hamilton, Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc. After a long-awaited win, he’s no longer the odd one out in that group.
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