In this three years in Formula 1 driving McLaren, Lando Norris showed a clear crescendo of performance and maturity, without disfiguring at all – far from it – alongside much more experienced teammates, such as Carlos Sainz and now Daniel Ricciardo. In the last grand prix, the one held in Sochi, the young British driver got his first pole position of his career and only a wrong decision on the timing of the return to the pits to mount the Intermediate tires deprived him of the probable first success after just 53 GP. But for now Norris can be satisfied with the five podiums obtained so far (four in 2021) and for the fourth place in the drivers’ standings, ahead of Sergio Perez and only 12 points from Valtteri Bottas.
And also in terms of recognizability among the fans, Lando seems to have a particular grip among the youngest, who feel sympathy for the 21-year-old from Bristol, despite doing nothing to try to ruffle the public. “At the beginning of the year you always expect to take a step forward as a team, but also on a personal level I have improved a lot by reviewing everything that had happened the previous year to do better.“, Norris acknowledged to the notebooks of the Gazzetta dello Sport. The McLaren driver was teased about a possible future in Ferrari, but he was able to stay buttoned up, making extensive use of diplomacy: “Currently I am happy where I am and I have just extended my contract with McLaren with which I want to win the World Championship for both drivers and manufacturers. In 10 years I don’t know what can happen: it’s true, I have many Italian fans and I was able to see him in Monza where they waited for me outside the hotel and at the circuit and I could feel their great warmth ”.