The Belgian GP will forever remain a heartbreaking affair for all F1 racers. And for Lando Norris, this time, it is even more so. The McLaren racer was on cloud nine last weekend for his team’s first 1-2 finish at the Hungarian GP. But his joy will remain short-lived since the Norris family is currently grieving the death of Lando’s grandmother.

While he could not win last week’s race in Hungary, Lando Norris is the hottest topic of discussion in F1 town. He was inches away from a roaring victory when McLaren asked him to give away his position to teammate Oscar Piastri. Ever the team player, Lando conceded to his Aussie team partner and ultimately came second at Hungaroring. Of course, his act has started off huge debates on whether McLaren’s ask was a fair one. But Lando Norris has a chance to shut off all the noise by grabbing the topmost position at the Belgian GP that is around the corner.

However, the weekend already seems to be a sad one for the 24-year-old prodigy. While you might not know this–Lando is Belgian on his mother’s side. And he lost his maternal grandmother just before walking into Spa for the race weekend. Reporter Adam Cooper made a special request to win the Belgian GP in honor of his beloved “grandma”, with Norris saying, “[A win at Spa would be special], especially for my mum, all of the family, because they’ve gone through a lot lately with the passing of my grandma. So for all of my side that are out here in Belgium.”

Earlier in this season, Lando Norris had won for the first time in his F1 career at the Miami GP. And there, he had dedicated his victory to his grandmother who was ill at that time. The papaya army racer had also shared a heartfelt message for her. So, what had Lando said in that emotional moment?

Lando Norris revealed a hopeful promise to his “grandma”

In our opinion, every F1 fan would agree that Lando Norris is the breakout star of this season. When he soared to his maiden victory after completing 110 Grands Prix, he was ecstatic over the team radio. While congratulations flew around in the McLaren pit in celebration of Norris’ first win, he had made a special dedication to his grandmother. The proud race winner had said on the McLaren team radio, “This one is for my grandma“.

But no, Lando Norris did not just end it with a single sentence for his grandmother. When he joined the press conference following his win, he revealed much more: “She’s not been so well lately so I saw her last week and I told her that I was going to win a race and I didn’t say when I just said I was going to win a race and I didn’t think it would be coming this soon so I’m just very happy that I was able to to do as quickly as I did.”

Well, it is such a bittersweet thing to realize that Lando Norris managed to keep his promise to his grandmother before she passed away. But by the looks of the McLaren MCL38’s speed, it can be said that several more race wins await Lando in the upcoming Grands Prix of this season. Do you agree that Lando Norris can win multiple times and give Max Verstappen a run for his money in 2024? Comment below.