Lando Norris with the McLaren crew members (Photo: McLaren)
SHANGHAI — 2024 is Lando Norris’ sixth season in Formula 1 and with McLaren. Being one of the top talents in the grid, he holds a total of 691 points and 15 podiums. However, he also holds both the records of the driver with the most points without a win and the driver with the most podiums without a win.
This record was formerly held by Nick Heidfeld until Norris’ third place podium at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
The first opportunity that Norris had to win was at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. On qualifying day, the McLaren driver was going for an amazing lap but sadly, instead of ending the lap with a pole position, he ended it against a wall in Eau Rouge. On Sunday, after terrible weather conditions hit the track, the race ended under a safety car, giving the win to Max Verstappen and even placing George Russell in the Williams on second place.
That same year, the title contenders, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, got involved in a crash at Monza, leaving the win open to any driver who was willing to take the chance. It could be said that Norris could have taken the victory, but he was beaten by merit by his Australian teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, and had to settle for second place.
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo with McLaren pose on the grid (Photo: Mark Sutton | McLaren Racing)
Finally, for the third time in that same year, Norris’ chance of getting a maiden win seemed as bright as ever after claiming the pole position at the Russian Grand Prix. The British driver seemed to have everything under control, holding Hamilton off for almost the entire race. Things turned around after rain hit the circuit and Norris decided it was better not to pit for intermediate tires, making it clear over his team radio. Norris immediately regretted this decision, slipping off the track and losing his win.
“I’m unhappy, devastated in a way,” he told Sky after the race. “I guess we made a call to stay out. I think we stand by that call of course. It was the wrong one at the end of the day, but I made a decision just as much as the team.
“In fact, it was more that they thought I should box and I decided to stay out. So it was my decision. I thought it was the way to go.”
So how come Norris is not winning?
The McLarens have had occasions of competitiveness with the champion Red Bulls; one of the most recent times being in last year’s Abu Dhabi qualifying, when Norris narrowly lost the pole position due to a mistake.
“The car was very good out there, I was on a lap quick enough to go P1, but I didn’t do it, so it’s another Saturday that I’ve just thrown away,” Norris told Sky Sports after qualifying, referring to mistakes earlier in the season. “I’m disappointed.”
Norris is just 23 years old, and the best years of his career are probably ahead of him. He has proven many times that he has the speed and the skill it takes to take the victory. Even if he holds these unlucky records, it is just a matter of time before the British driver, with a little bit of luck and self-confidence, claims his maiden win.
Lando Norris celebrating on the podium of the 2023 British Grand Prix (Photo: Getty Images)
