Lando Norris seems to have hit the realism button after the high of the Qatar Grand Prix. The young Brit has gone on record saying a win “is unlikely” for the remaining season. Remember the heartbreak in Qatar? Lando sure does. He believes that was their golden ticket, their best shot at a victory.

After the Qatar Grand Prix, Lando Norris has expressed doubt about his chances of winning any of the remaining races this season. Precisely so, the situation turned around for McLaren in the USA as Norris despite being in the thick of competition felt the car was short on something. Formula 1 is a tough game, and Lando’s realism reflects the fierce competition he faces. While he still dreams of winning, he understands the challenges ahead.

Lando Norris hits the realism button

“The slow speed is just letting us down,” Norris lamented. While some might think he’s alluding to a need for speed in his Spotify playlist, he’s talking about the tracks. With no more high downforce tracks for their upgraded ride this season, McLaren seems to be lagging behind, especially when compared to the beasts at Red Bull.

But as Norris navigates the rollercoaster of this F1 season, Lewis Hamilton, ever the myth-buster, zooms ahead, keeping us all on our toes. The 2023 US Grand Prix was apparently a big myth-buster for the 23-year-old driver as Hamilton & Mercedes stamped their authority on being the 2nd best behind Red Bull.

Norris looked pretty comfortable leading the race at COTA for the majority of the 1st half of the Grand Prix. Although, as Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton’s strategies kicked into top gear, Norris’s MCL60 had to yield to take 3rd spot in Austin. What started as a hope for his maiden race win (which has been on hold ever since his Ice Skating experiment in Sochi), steadily became a standard podium finish for the Papaya army.

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Norris & McLaren will be prudent of Mercedes’ sudden improvement in pace as their 2nd best spot behind RBR comes into contention again. Still, they had something to celebrate from the US GP which swung the pendulum back toward them from the Silver Arrows.

Norris and McLaren celebrate exceeding expectations at the United States GP

Lando Norris and the McLaren team had plenty to celebrate at the United States Grand Prix, as their performance exceeded expectations despite narrowly missing out on victory at the Circuit of the Americas. Norris took the lead from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc right from the get-go and displayed impressive initial pace, establishing a commanding lead of over two seconds ahead of the chasing pack. Apparently, all this hard work has not gone to waste!

Despite narrowly missing out on the top spot, Norris remained positive, saying, “I am happy; it was a good race from my side. We knew our struggles, we knew what was going to be difficult, and it was just the degradation. The pace over 10 laps in the stint at the beginning was strong; I just couldn’t hold on long enough. We are getting there, progress every weekend, just some more steps needed.”

In a dramatic turn of events, Norris was promoted to second place following Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification due to a technical breach alongside Charles Leclerc, earning three additional points in the process. This promotion to P2, adds another P2 finish to Norris’ renewed 2023 surge post the Austrian GP upgrades.

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McLaren and Lando Norris may not have claimed the top spot in Austin, but their impressive performance and constant progress indicate a bright future for the team in the world of Formula 1. As the season progresses, fans can expect more exciting moments from this dynamic duo.