Norris's Stressful Situation Recognized By His Team Principal

Tuesday, 02 January 2024 at 08:00

Lando Norris achieved 13 podiums in his F1 career but is still waiting for his first win in Formula 1 and is getting into a very stressful situation, as acknowledged by his team principal.

In 2023, Lando Norris equaled the unfortunate record of Nick Heidfeld for getting the most podiums (13) without a race win. The McLaren driver came very close on multiple occasions but has not yet achieved that first victory.

Moreover, former F1 driver Martin Brundle suggested Norris must be "brutally wounded" after his rookie teammate Oscar Piastri achieved a victory earlier than him when he won a sprint race in Qatar.

On the other hand, the 24-year-old showed superb performances during the 2023 season, and it is clear he has the qualities to go toe-to-toe with the best in the sport. McLaren team principal Andres Stella told Autosport:

"Lando is in a phase of his career which he kind of feels the pressure of: ‘I want to win a race, I want to be there with the guys that I know I’m as good as and I see them winning races."

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The team principal suggested being in a situation where Norris found himself can be stressful, but the Papaya driver copes with it very well.

"I can really understand, the team can really understand the kind of stress that this can create. The first thing for me I would like to say is how good he was in coping with this stress. Because some other drivers could have reverted, could have transferred their stress onto the team."

Some other drivers in F1, even this season, have pointed to their team not building fast enough cars as an excuse for not achieving what they wanted. However, Norris has shown impressive accountability. Stella added:

"Could have said: ‘Guys, I’m here, I’m ready to perform, but where is the car?’ Never heard anything like this [from Lando]. His contribution, his support to the team has always been very constructive."

The 24-year-old driver recently stated his first win is coming next season with McLaren, do you believe he can achieve it in 2024?