Is Lando Norris really a special talent?

By Joe Man

Yes he is, and he’s been the real deal for a while now. Since he first stepped into a Formula 1 seat, Lando Norris has looked at home. Whilst some young drivers are prone to incidents and accidents Lando has been Mr Smooth. He has brought hours of entertainment to the sport with his humorous and childlike attitude to life. Norris is a marketing dream for McLaren! His rise to the top has been an impressive one from the start.

Born to English/Belgian parents, Lando was flying from a young age. He claimed pole position in his first national Karting event before going on to win the European championship at only 14!
At 15, he became world Karting champion and competed in touring cars and European Formula 4 events. Everywhere he went it was pole positions, wins and titles.
As he continued his march through the categories, Norris proved not only was he incredibly quick but drove with a maturity way beyond his years.
After winning the European Formula 3 Championship in 2017, Lando went on to only narrowly get beaten by fellow Englishman George Russell in 2018’s Formula 2 championship.

The year of 2017 was also when he signed for McLaren as a junior driver. The role later went on to become a test and reserve driver seat for the 2018 season. Lando’s lap times were super impressive in testing, causing McLaren to make the decision to give him a race seat for 2019.
Most drivers in their first season of F1 will have some silly moments, bringing talk about whether they belong at this level. It has never happened with Norris. He was competitive immediately, qualifying 8th in the first race in Australia. Although the season was dogged by a lot of bad luck, Lando still finished 11th in the Driver’s Championship. Bad pit stops, mechanical failures and midfield incidents robbed him of a huge amount of points, but by the end of 2018 the Formula 1 world knew a special talent had arrived. 2019 was another strong year of progression. By 2020, he became the third youngest podium-finisher in Formula One history. In the first race of that season, Lando came out firing with an incredible drive to take third on the last lap.
It was during 2020 that not only Lando’s driving turned heads but also with his personality. Whether it be online gaming with mates and fans or clowning around with other drivers, Norris gained fame for his fun and honest outlook on life. Most noticeably on social media platforms like Twitch.
Whoever is in charge of managing Lando has done an unbelievable job. He has become a brand in his own right. He has used his fame to launch his own kart racing team, raising money for charities and speaking openly about mental health in the sport and his own struggles with it.

Finally, 2021 was another huge step with four podiums, his first pole position and what should have been his first victory. Having scored his first pole in Russia, Lando went on to lead almost the whole race before rain cruelly robbed him of his first Win. It was excruciating to watch as Lando’s inexperience showed for a rare occasion. He overruled his team on putting on wet tyres before getting stuck on slicks in heavy rain, losing out to Lewis Hamilton.

It seems only a matter of time until we see Lando Norris on the top step of the podium. He will be in the mix for many years to come and will be ready if he can get a championship winning car.
Who knows, it could be 2022!!
With McLaren’s progression over the last few years, there is every chance they could be right up there this year. Testing is not far away, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how the team and Lando go!
It is easy to forget with this long list of achievements that the boy from Bristol is only 22 years old!