My First Race: Lando Norris

From the moment he signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme in 2017, Lando Norris’ rise to an F1 seat always seemed ​p​re-ordained, a case of when​ ​not if ​manifest destiny defined by prodigious talent, hard graft and exceptional results.

Twenty podiums from 30 races, including nine wins, handed him the 2017 European F3 title in his rookie season. He kicked off the following year with a standout cameo alongside McLaren regular Fernando Alonso at the 24 Hours of Daytona and put in a performance that left the double F1 Champion hailing the 18-year-old junior’s “Impressive speed”, especially during a rapid night stint in the wet, which recovered 30 seconds of a one-minute deficit to the leaders.

The youngster, whose rookie F2 campaign saw him finish as vice-champion, spent 2018 shadowing the Spaniard – even famously taking on ‘tea boy’ duties for Fernando at the US Grand Prix – and the string of stellar FP1 outings allied to his F2 results made the Briton the natural choice for a seat alongside new recruit Carlos Sainz. ​Ascent was a given.

But even though the road to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix had been signposted with huge, victoriously spotlit signposts – and with his Pre-Season Test spell dotted with impressive times – Lando’s arrival into Formula 1 still felt slightly surreal to the rookie star-in-the-making.

“The Melbourne Walk was my first proper taste of the reception of what it’s like to be a Formula 1 driver – all the fans, the shouting, all the scribbling and signatures. That really gives you ​the feeling of, ‘it’s happening,’” he recalls​ eight years after his debut weekend.

“It’s special because it’s the first time you’re experiencing all these moments,” he adds. “You’ve seen it on TV many times, but that first time you get to feel it and think about it, it’s very cool. I don’t know what else I was thinking. I was just thinking, ‘this is pretty crazy’.”

The craziness surrounding his ​first race brought home just how big a moment the 19-year-old was facing, and ahead of Friday’s Practice sessions, Lando admitted to being slightly overwhelmed by the prospect.

“The excitement overrides a lot of it, but I still do have a lot of nerves,” he said at the time. “There’s a lot of weight on my shoulders to perform. It’s a job now, and I’m not doing it for fun. I need to perform well and make everyone happy.”

Initially, those nerves were apparent. Tentative in Friday’s opening session, Lando ended FP1 in P18 on the timesheet, saying that “getting used to this track for the first time” had been his main focus. He repeated the position in FP2, but insisted he was “more confident” and “pretty comfortable”.

After another P18 in final practice, an entirely more aggressive Lando steered out of the pit lane​ for Qualifying.

​The new recruit lived up to team expectations by making it to Q2, but his P8 in the opening session raised a few eyebrows. They lifted even higher when the rookie muscled his way to P9 in the middle session and then, in the crucial top 10 shootout, claimed a hugely impressive eighth place on the grid – it was the first time the team had made it to Q3 since Monaco the previous season.

“Just getting from Q1 to Q2 was already cool, and then I was through into Q3, which was very special,” he says. “I remember some of my laps - my final lap felt pretty good. You’re on low fuel, the pressure’s on, and you’ve new tyres on - that’s what I’ve always loved. That’s the best feeling you get. So yeah, I remember it pretty well.”

Sunday’s Grand Prix was somewhat tougher, but finishing 12th at the Flag marked a solid debut and provided plenty of lessons. While he still draws on them today, the World Champion says he has only hazy memories of the race itself.

“I don’t remember the race so much, I just remember the lead-up to it,” he says. “There’s so much going on in your head, all the buttons you’ve got to be pressing and all the procedures you’ve got to do before the race. That was the stuff that worried me the most. The driving part is the area that comes most naturally and feels most relaxed.

“I learned a lot,” he insists. “It’s just good for your confidence to get one out of the way and go, ‘okay, so that’s what it’s like to race in Formula 1’. There were some silly little things I did that I knew I could fix next time. It’s cool to look back and remind myself of all of those moments. In your first races in Formula 1, it’s important that you’re learning a lot in every race.”

Lando’s story since has, of course, been one of progress towards, and attainment, of racing’s ultimate prize. Looking back at the raw 19-year-old who admitted to being daunted by the prospect of lining up on the F1 grid for the first time, Lando says plenty has changed.

“Well, I’ve certainly grown – I got a bit taller,” he laughs. “Everything was just very daunting back then, whereas everything feels very comfortable now and very normal, so that’s a nice thing.

“What was also great back then, was that everything felt so special. It’s still special now, that doesn’t change, but the more you do, the more normal it all feels. So, for example, it feels normal to walk into McLaren now, but back then every time I walked in it was like, “This is crazy.” Reminding yourself of those moments is pretty nice.”

Over 150 Grands Prix starts, 16 Pole positions, 45 podiums, 11 wins and one World Championship. It’s been quite a ride since that stunning final flyer in Q3 in Melbourne.

“The story I’ve had with McLaren has been very special already,” he says. “This is my eighth year. Time has flown by. To go from where we were back then in 2019, to winning the last two Constructors’ Championships together, and the Drivers’ Championship last year, is very special and emotional - knowing that I’ve played a part - a very small part -- in the history of McLaren.

“I’ve only ever been with McLaren, and I’ve now completed the most races of any driver for McLaren,” he concludes. “I’m the most ‘McLaren-est’ racing driver, which is pretty good, pretty cool! For my name to be alongside the likes of Hunt, Prost, Senna, and Lauda is unbelievable - to be a part of McLaren’s history, alongside all these other incredible people. In 10 years, 20 years, 30 years’ time, I think it’s going to be very cool to look back on. Maybe then, there will be other kids growing up and they’ll see my car and my name, and maybe they’ll get the same feeling I did when I walked in for the very first time. That’s cool to think of.”