Lando Norris: The Rising Star

Lando Norris has shown us over the last few years that he is not just here to make up the numbers in Formula One. After just 3 years in the sport, Lando has quickly risen among the ranks, proving to be a real threat to those at the front of the grid.

Lando had a fairly decent start to the 2021 season in Bahrain, picking up right where he left off by securing a 4th place finish from starting 7th on the grid in Bahrain. Things seemed positive for the young Brit whose season was only going to get better.

In Imola, he finished on the podium on a slippery track, proving that the wet weather conditions did not affect the ambitious young driver. He pulled off an amazing drive in Monaco which landed him on the podium again, joined by his former teammate Carlos Sainz and Dutch driver Max Verstappen. The Styrian hills proved to be lucky for him again, by finishing on the podium in the Austrian GP. Lando was quickly catching the eye of everyone in the motorsport world. His affable nature and a keen knack of race craft made him a fan favourite.

Lando’s teammate for the 2021 season was the experienced Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo. Lando and Daniel struck a very good partnership both on and off track. In Monza, amidst the chaos of the two championship rivals colliding, Daniel and Lando were leading the race in first and second positions respectively. Lando obeyed his team’s orders to not overtake Ricciardo which eventually resulted in Mclaren’s first 1-2 finish in 11 years. If there were any doubts regarding Lando and Ricciardo’s relationship, it was put to bed in the iconic post race celebrations along with their CEO Zak Brown.

Lando looked on the rise and a race win didn’t seem too far ahead. He rocked up with an incredible Q3 lap in Sochi which gave him the first pole position of his career. Despite falling behind a place on the first lap, Lando would eventually take the lead of the race in lap 13. But If history is any evidence, we all know that it doesn’t take too long for fortunes to turn in Formula One. Lando seemed to be cruising towards a win when it started to rain in lap 46. Lewis Hamilton who was chasing Lando for the win behind him, made the smart decision to pit for the Pirelli’s Intermediate tyres while Lando decided to stay out.

The lead of the race slipped from Lando’s grasp when he went off track in lap 51 which allowed Lewis to take the lead of the race, who then went on to win his 100th Career Grand Prix . Norris wouldn’t even finish on the podium as he had to change his tyres in order to finish the race. P7 was a disappointing result for the 21 year old who was on track to win his first ever Formula One Grand Prix. Lando apologised to his team and to his fans and claimed full responsibility for the events of the race.

Sochi was nothing less than a learning curve for Lando. Despite the strategic error, Lando did have an amazing weekend. It really showed us how well he had developed as a driver. Things however did not seem to improve for Lando and the team from Woking who had a very underwhelming end to the season. Despite qualifying P3 for the final race of the season, he slipped back and finished 7th.

There is no doubt as to how Lando has grown this season into a phenomenal driver. He finished 6th in the driver’s championship with 160 points, a career high. Safe to say that he had a stellar season and is only going to get better. His graph has been in the upwards trajectory ever since he joined Formula one and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Exciting times lay ahead for the Papaya outfit with such an elite arrow in their quiver.

Norris is among a crop of young and exciting drivers who have a very good chance of challenging for the championship in the coming years. We can definitely expect Lando to be a regular sight on the podium next season, maybe even on the top step. Despite being a fun loving and ebullient individual, you can see his professionalism and seriousness on track with the maturity he has shown in his driving this season.

Lando is a prized asset for Mclaren who are hoping to regain their status of top dogs in Formula One. Norris definitely has the potential to help the papaya outfit regain its elite status. It will be interesting to see how Norris deals with the new 2022 regulations. Now it is up to him to continue on the path of progress that he has been on and continue entertain us with his racing for years to come.