Lando Norris: Defying F1 Expectations & Winning His Way

WOKING – After fifteen long years, the dominance of Red Bull and Mercedes drivers in F1 has ended, and the title goes to the papaya hands of McLaren thanks to Lando Norris.

On Sunday, the hegemony of one of the greatest champions in the history of F1 ended for at least a year. Despite the incredible second half of the season, Max Verstappen was dethroned by British pilot Lando Norris, who thus received his first world championship title.

The McLaren pilot finished his own development, during which fans could get to know the young, slightly flighty boy in 2019. This was followed by a gradual development into one of the fastest drivers of the starting field, but for whom victories were as if cursed. However, everything turned around last year in Miami, and Norris’ journey ended at the very top of motorsport.

Especially the last quarter of the season proved that the young ear has become a mature competitor, who in the decisive moments of the season clearly showed all the doubters that he mainly worked on his mental strength and managed them without any major problems.

However, from Norris’ point of view, what may be most important and valuable is that he won the title in his own way. During the championship season, he did not resort to any psychological games, maneuvers behind the edge that “decorated” even the biggest personalities, and he proved to everyone that even a good guy who stands out from the line of uncompromising champions with his humanity, openness and often vulnerability can win the title.

“Lando Nowins” world champion in a year and a half

His journey in F1 started already in the aforementioned 2019, but he used the initial years to gather experience. At that time, McLaren was as far from the winning car as the highway from Bratislava to Košice is currently.

Glimpses of Norris’ qualities came gradually. In the cold 2020 season, he claimed his first podium in nearby Austria, in the breathtaking 2021 season, he fought for his first victory at Monza and Sochi with his teammate Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton.

But the transition to the new rules in 2022 caught McLaren unprepared again and it took him more than a year and a half to return to fighting for the top ranks. He definitely established himself among the fastest only in 2024, and it all started in Miami.

Even before this big prize, the nickname Lando Nowins appeared regularly, which slightly modified his surname and loosely translated meant that he simply does not win. At the time, he held the unwanted record of being the driver who had won the most podiums in F1 history without standing on the top step.

In Miami, thanks to the great help of the Safety car, he won and subsequently joined the title battle at a distance. Despite having a faster car than Max Verstappen, he just didn’t have it last year.

This was clearly documented by the race in Brazil, in which he made a big mistake after a restart caused by a red flag and fell down the order. On the contrary, the Dutch phenomenon performed one of the best performances of his career, and even his biggest critics had to take their hats off to him.

This year it looked very similar in the first half. Oscar Piastri was clearly the faster, surer and more consistent of the pair of McLaren pilots. But after Zandvoort came a huge crisis that cost the Australian the title.

Norris, on the other hand, began to show improved form, which was crowned mainly by the weekends in Mexico and Brazil, and if it were not for the fatal failure of his team in Vegas, he would probably have enjoyed the overall triumph already in Qatar.

In Abu Dhabi, he drove exactly what he needed and deservedly became world champion for the first time in his career. His evolution from a driver who did not have a single win to a racer who under pressure was able to withstand the brutal onslaught of the media, fans and “Chucky” Verstappen is so admirable and remarkable.

With the benefit of the hunter

Norris has spoken very openly in the past about how mentally demanding his early days in F1 were for him. These words were subsequently abused by many against him. However, there was a big turnaround after last season, which was fully revealed at the time when the title was decided.

Norris was able to rise to performances that resembled a true title contender for the first time. He spoke about what the biggest change and improved performances are before the race in Qatar.

“Two reasons why I’m doing well is that I’m just doing a better job, so I’m performing better more often. Second, I’m more positive and less negative when I have bad days, and I believe more in myself and that I can turn it around.”

“There have been many times this year that I’ve qualified and been a bit lost. Especially at the beginning of the year, I was behind. I didn’t have the answers and a clear idea of ​​what I needed to do differently to be faster. But then I turned it around, either in qualifying or on Sunday.”

“I’ve done it so many times that I get to the point where even if I’m having a bad weekend now, I tell myself that I’ve done it before, against the best riders, I’ve been outside and turned it around at the right moment – ​​and that’s a very reassuring feeling that I need.”

He broke stereotypes and always remained himself

Of course, Norris is no stranger to tougher maneuvers, as his teammate in Singapore, for example, saw for himself. However, compared to champions from the recent or distant past, he differs in many ways.

Even from his words after winning the title, it is clear that he is just as pleased with the victory itself as with the way he worked towards it. “In short I won it my way. I’m glad I could be myself.’

I feel like I managed to win the way I wanted without trying to be someone I’m not. I wasn’t trying to be as aggressive as Max or as strong as other champions in the past. My style is simply to try to be a good person and a good team member.

Could I have been more of the person they wanted me to be? I could. But in some ways I would be less proud of it. That’s why I’m very happy with myself. I kept my cool, stayed me, focused on myself and made the most of who I am.” introduced Norris, whom it quoted BBC.

These words were also supported by one of his best friends on the starting grid, Carlos Sainz. “I’m very happy for him as a driver because I think he’s always been extremely fast, faster than people think and extremely talented since I worked with him in the early years at McLaren.

I saw in him a man who had the speed to become a multiple world champion. I think he’s developed his skills a lot over his career and he’s done it now. But I am most happy for him as a person, because I think he is a driver who does not correspond to the typical stereotype of a world champion.

I think he’s always stayed true to himself, he’s been very honest, he’s been open about his own struggles and he’s proven to everyone that even a good and open person can be a world champion and that you don’t have to be ruthless or tough. It’s never easy to be world champion with Max breathing down your neck, but he did it and won.” quoted Sainz official F1 website.

Zak Brown’s infamous words from last year about us entering the Lando Norris era have finally come true. However, his reign is not crowned by the recognition of the fans, but is characterized by the exact opposite.

Thanks to this unfortunate statement, the era of Lando Norris is also associated with the fact that the McLaren driver is currently one of the least popular faces of F1. To a large extent, his team is also to blame for this, as they turned the battle for the title with their “papaya rules” into, to put it mildly, a mild farce and in the end Verstappen almost blew it for them.

The wave of attacks, questioning of his title or hateful comments on his person will certainly take some time. But if similar things will come only because he deviates from the standards of typical world champions, that he remained himself even in tense situations and disrupted the hegemony of his Dutch rival and good friend, then Norris can be completely satisfied with that.

The achieved goal in the form of a title is nice, but in itself it means nothing to him. For Norris, the path he followed to reach him was equally important, and that he remained himself on it.

• Author: © List/ Milan Stano
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