McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris addressed luck, and what he has learned this season, ahead of the Las Vegas GP
The final sprint of the 2024 Formula 1 season begins this weekend in Sin City, with the second Las Vegas Grand Prix. In marked contrast to last year’s inaugural event, which saw Max Verstappen and Red Bull arrive already crowned the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Champions, this season both titles are up for grabs.
Verstappen can still clinch a Drivers’ Championship this weekend, but one driver remains in his way: Lando Norris. The McLaren driver broke through with his maiden win this season back at the Miami Grand Prix, and has put Verstappen under pressure throughout the year. But Verstappen’s incredible drive in the rain at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he stormed through the field despite starting at the back of the grid to capture a stunning win, saw the Red Bull driver put one hand on his fourth straight Drivers’ Championship trophy.
Speaking at the FIA Press Conference ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Norris admitted he will need a lot of “luck” to stay alive in the Drivers’ Championship race this weekend.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one. I don’t know chess that well, honestly, but it’s probably check,” said Norris when asked to make a chess analogy for the current Drivers’ Championship race. “I can survive. I can put up a fight. That’s what I do, but at some point you kind of know it’s not going to be your way and it’s not going to go your way.
“But you never know, so I’m not saying it is over and I won’t say it’s over until it is, but you know it’s very far out of reach at the minute and we’ve been performing well, but I need a lot of luck if anything, if I can and It’s pretty much like I’ve got to win three races and Max has to not finish three races in a way. So, yeah, it’s check. And I’m all alone. And Max has all his pawns ready to attack me. But that’s probably all I know.”
Norris also addressed the idea of luck, which became a flashpoint in his comments following the race in Brazil.
“You have to learn to accept it. I think what made it Brazil tough was two things. One was for something like this to happen so late in the season. I think, you know, when it’s earlier in the season, you know, it’s like it’s more so be it and you just see what happens later on. But this was almost a defining moment for the championship,” began Norris. “It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut.
“For a week I was pretty down after Brazil because I had that realization that things are pretty much out of my control now, not within reach necessarily. That’s a tough realization when your hopes and your belief is so high for it to get knocked down so much all of a sudden was pretty demoralising and not the best of feelings. You learn to accept that. that’s life,” continued the McLaren driver. “I admitted, and I admitted even in Miami, that I was lucky in Miami to get the win with the Safety Car, and that’s the strategy you play. I think Brazil was still a bit more luck of the trade, but that is Formula 1. That’s racing. I’ve not complained about it. Luck can be on your side. It can be on other people’s side. That’s life. So I don’t mind. One day it will go your way. The next it won’t.”
The McLaren driver was then asked about 2025. Earlier this year Norris stated that no matter how 2024 ends, it will be a year he is “proud” of. Looking ahead to next season, Norris outlined that this year he learned that he has what it takes to fight at the front, which will put him in better position next year.
“That I have what it takes. I think it’s the first time in the last six years of Formula 1 when we’ve had a chance to fight at the front, we’ve not been able to do that for the last six years,” started Norris. “So this is our and my first opportunity to do so, and my first opportunity to see where I stand.
“And I definitely was not at the level I needed to be at the beginning of the year, and even Miami point of the season. Since the summer break, I feel like I’ve done a very good job and performed very, very well, by far some of my best performances that I’ve done. So I’ve been very happy, actually, with how the last few months have gone, honestly. I wouldn’t change many things that have happened.
“But I still need to make tweaks. I still need to improve on things. That’s clear. You know, I’m not completely satisfied with how I’ve done. I definitely know I need to make improvements. But for the first time, I’m confident to say that I have what I think I need to fight for a championship. Doesn’t mean I’m complete, doesn’t mean I’m perfect, that’s for sure,” said Norris. “And when you’re competing against drivers who are close to that, like Max, you have to be close to perfect if you want to challenge him, you know, and challenge the teams we’re around. So I’m confident and I think the main thing I can take away is I have faith that I have got what it takes to fight for a championship.”
Like all F1 drivers, Norris approaches the sport with brutal honesty. The stopwatch does not lie, and you cannot shy away from difficult results, and difficult moments. He may fall short of a Drivers’ Championship this season, but Norris did show that he and McLaren are ready to fight at the front this year, which could serve them well in seasons to come.
