Lando Norris: I’m a lucky boy and I’ll be with McLaren for many more years

It is another major milestone in a story that has become central to McLaren’s modern revival. Norris has been there through the difficult years, the rebuild, the return to race wins, and now the fight to keep McLaren at the front of Formula 1.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Norris said the significance of becoming McLaren’s most experienced race driver was not lost on him: “Very. My dream was to be in Formula 1; in the beginning, it was to be with McLaren.

"I don’t think at any point I ever thought I’d be the driver in McLaren with the most race starts for them. That’s a pretty awesome stat to think of. To be honest, normally I hate stats in general, and I hate when people say them, but this is one that I’m just proud of, for sure.

"It’s not like a performance stat; it’s just more like a general one, and that’s something, you know, just to see my name alongside so many greats," added Norris, who has already helped McLaren back to the sharp end, with the team now a genuine title force after years in the wilderness.

Recent McLaren stories have centred on that resurgence, the strength of its Norris and Oscar Piastri partnership, and the scale of interest both drivers are generating across the Formula 1 paddock.

Norris continued: “One championship is pretty amazing, but a lot of others and a lot of the people that everyone knows and remembers achieved a lot more. I certainly want to get to the level that they did, but for my name to be amongst some incredible drivers in the past is an amazing thing.

“For me to play a small part in helping McLaren go from where they were a few years ago, which is where no one wants to see McLaren, to where we are now, it’s been an incredible journey that I’ve been very lucky to be part of.”

The Monaco weekend gives McLaren a fitting stage for its 1000th race, with Norris returning as last year’s winner. But the Briton was careful not to overstate McLaren’s chances, especially with Mercedes and Ferrari expected to be strong around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Norris said: “Yeah, I’m a lucky boy, and I’ll be here for many more years at the same time, trying to keep McLaren in the position that they are now, which is winning Constructors’ Championships and winning championships for drivers. Yeah, how lucky I’ve been to be part of that journey, and I hope that it continues for many more years.”

Asked how confident he was of repeating last year’s Monaco victory, Norris admitted McLaren’s build up to this year’s race has not felt quite as strong as 12 months ago.

The World Champion explained: “Well, I think our run into this weekend this time last year was probably a little bit better than we’ve had this year, so maybe not quite to the level it was last season. But I think we’re optimistic.

"We still want to come in with hopes of trying to achieve a pole and trying to achieve a win. That’s still the goals we want to set ourselves. But Ferrari and Mercedes have obviously been very strong, Mercedes even more so, so we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

"We don’t want to be too optimistic, but at the same time we want to come into our weekends at the minute, I think we’ve given ourselves the chance to come into weekends with the belief that it is possible. That’s the way we want to stay for now.”

Monaco’s low speed layout, narrow streets, and lack of overtaking mean qualifying will again be decisive. Norris believes McLaren has reason to be encouraged by its performance on similar track characteristics, but he also warned that Ferrari’s package could be well suited to the Principality.

Norris ventured: “It’s just so tough to say. I think, you know, we were closer to pole this year in Montreal than we were last time in Montreal, when we had a more dominant car. We went on to win in a similar characteristic of track, slow speeds, and low grip track that we have here.

“So, you know, when you just think of those things, it kind of gives us confidence. When you think of various other things, like just our general performance this year, less so. But we also know where we stand compared to the other cars, where they’re fast, and where they’re not.”

Norris also pointed directly to Ferrari’s strengths, with Charles Leclerc expected to be a major threat at home despite the Scuderia’s broader performance limitations this season.

He concluded: “It’s true that the Ferraris are not the quickest on the straights, but that’s also because they have a lot of downforce and a lot of drag, so it’s kind of their own punishment they give themselves, which gives them some advantage. That advantage will definitely show this weekend.”

For Norris and McLaren, Monaco is both a celebration and a test. The 1000th race milestone underlines the scale of the team’s history, but Norris’ words made clear the ambition is not nostalgia. McLaren is back at the front, and he expects to remain part of that fight for many more years.
(Additional Reporting Agnes Carlier in Monaco)