Lando Norris Vows to Destroy Carlos Sainz as F1 Journalist Wakes McLaren Man From Slumber

When Lando Norris joined McLaren full-time in 2019, he joined an already seasoned driver, Carlos Sainz. The British Constructor has been in a fight to get to the top of the table since their drop in the late 90s. The friendship between the two has garnered adoration from fans across all teams. But the switch to Ferrari by Sainz called for friendly fires by Lando. Speaking to the Formula 1 journalist Will Buxton, Norris aims to switch the position of the cars, something that he failed to do at Marina Bay.

Despite Carlos Sainz not driving for McLaren anymore, ‘Carlando’ fans are quick to celebrate victories on either side. The testament to their friendship was their ‘teamwork’ during the Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver provided DRS to Norris to keep the closing Mercedes behind. This masterful tactic got Sainz his second win of his Formula 1 career and Norris a podium finish. Although he is thankful to Carlos for helping his race, he will not let his friendship with the Spaniard get in the way of climbing the points table.

Lando Norris wants a Singapore-esque weekend with the twist of a win

From scruffing for points to back-to-back podiums in Singapore and Japan, Norris has made tremendous gains. At 115 points in the driver’s championship, he stands at level with the Mercedes’ George Russell. Buxton revealed to him that he was 20 points behind Charles Leclerc. “Am I?”, he laughed in shock. Confessing that he hadn’t checked the drivers’ standings after the first race, he added that he is happy with the team right now.

“You could possibly get Carlos as well if the next couple of races go as well as the last couple of races,” Buxton said to which Norris jokingly replied, “I could win.“ Elaborating, he exclaimed that winning the championship is over the top ambitious, but a race win is most welcome.

Carlos Sainz is 5th in the driver standings, 35 points ahead of the 23-year-old. If the momentum of the upgraded livery continues, Norris could close the gap and possibly displace Sainz.

Among the rivalries on the F1 grid, between the drivers and the Mercedes’ and Red Bull’s team principals, a friendship that leaks onto the track is refreshing for the fans. Carlos Sainz’s and Lando Norris’s friendship has a fan following of its own. Labeling the ship ‘carlando’ one can find numerous Instagram pages dedicated to the friends off track and friends on the track.

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In 2021, when Sainz left McLaren for the Maranello-based outfit, the Woking team put out a message for the Tifosi- to treat Carlos with love and to accept him. This message was one of a kind in F1 and showed how closely everyone at McLaren was related to Sainz, especially Norris. The Ferrari driver was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Yet the Australian charm could not set the development of the car in the right direction. He was replaced by another Australian, Oscar Piastri in 2023.

A glimmer of hope for McLaren’s post-summer blues

At the start of 2023, as the lights went out in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the McLaren drivers had little to no confidence in their cars. Finishing with a P17 and a DNF, the men in orange were scrapping for points in the subsequent races. The turn-around came during the British Grand Prix weekend when the outfit brought a chassis with an all too similar floor and wings to the Red Bull cars. Norris climbed the podium steps to finish second in that race while Oscar Piastri finished an impressive P4. The Chrome livery worked its magic on the track.

Fast forward to their multiple podiums since then, Lando & Oscar are heading into the unknown in Qatar. The kerbs on the track were a major talking point during the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. Teams complained about the damage to cars due to these. This year, they have been replaced by kerbs with huge drops due to which the damage is expected nonetheless. Moreover, the Grand Prix this weekend is following the sprint format. After just an hour of practice session, the drivers are expected to gear up for qualifying & then battle it out during the sprint day on Saturday under the boiling heat of Qatar.

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With changes on the circuit and the upgrade package that’s been powering Norris up the podium and points, it is difficult to put a finger on where Lando Norris will finish. For now, the target is Aston Martin who are 49 points ahead, and an old friend who made a switch to the prancing horse.