150 Grand Prix milestone
During the Las Vegas weekend, Lando Norris will reach his 150th Grand Prix. While some drivers pay little attention to such milestones, Norris sees it differently. “It’s a great milestone,” he said. “For many years, my dream was to reach Formula 1. I remember in 2019 in Melbourne being on the grid for the first time, and I still recall the feeling as the lights went out. Reaching 150 appearances feels incredible, and I also matched David Coulthard’s record with McLaren…so I’ll surpass it at Losail!”
Reflecting on a highlight of his career so far, Norris added, “If I have to pick a moment from these 150 races, it’s my victory at Silverstone. Winning my home Grand Prix in front of my parents, the team, and my fans was an incredible feeling. It brought me back to my childhood and my dreams. Definitely the best moment in these 150 races.”
Fully focused on the championship
Despite the milestone, Lando Norris admits that his attention is entirely on the championship fight. “I’m so immersed in this moment that I only think about the next qualifying or race. Rarely do you step back and think: ‘I’m an F1 driver, I’m fighting for the championship, and I travel the world.’ You forget these things because your mind is fully on what you’re trying to achieve.”
Expectations for Las Vegas
When asked about his expectations for the upcoming weekend, Lando Norris displayed cautious optimism. “Las Vegas has been the toughest track for us in the last two years, so it’s hard to set expectations like in Mexico or Brazil. But we’re having an excellent season and have improved in many areas, so I feel more confident than in previous years, even if not exactly the same as before the last races. I’m here to win, but it will definitely be more difficult than Interlagos and Mexico City.”
Reflecting on last year, Lando Norris explained a curious aspect of the Las Vegas race. “We didn’t have the pace, so we experimented. I adjusted my driving style during the race to see if it improved. In the final stint, I found something that improved the pace. My last part of the race was much closer to Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. We learned a lot, but that doesn’t mean this weekend will be great. What did I find? I won’t say, I’ll let you figure it out.”
Continuous improvement
Lando Norris emphasized that his progress after the summer break was the result of incremental improvements rather than anything magical. “Small changes to the front suspension and steering sometimes helped, but the rest depends on me and the work done with my engineers and the full team. It’s constant work with my team to find small details to improve. Nothing single-handedly made the difference. It’s just a lot of things tried in the simulator, spending time with the team, and understanding how to improve during FP1, FP2, and FP3, learning the car and how it should be driven. No magic, just a lot of work off-track.”
Challenges in Las Vegas
Lando Norris concluded by addressing the unique challenges he expects in Las Vegas. “We drivers always complain about the car—first or last place, it doesn’t matter, it’s probably our specialty! Las Vegas will be completely different in terms of cold and low grip. I’ve always struggled with front tire graining, feeling like the worst driver on the grid managing it. I also hate understeer—the front not working—but I’ve worked on it, so we’ll see. If it rains, it’ll be an even bigger challenge; after all, it’s a street circuit with very little margin for error.”
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