Is Lando Norris Due For a Maiden Victory?

Just after the Australian Grand Prix this year, McLaren driver Lando Norris has broken the record for most podiums without a single victory, a record previously held by driver Nick Heidfeld. Norris now has 14 podiums without ever being able to step up onto that top platform since his debut in the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. But depite holding this record, Norris continually proves to be a tremendously talented driver in Formula 1. Is it about time that Norris will finally come through and bag his maiden victory?

What we know so far

Lando Norris, who drives under the number 4 for McLaren Formula 1 Team, has been widely regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid since not long after his debut race. This is largely due to his exceptional speed and skill in the car. At the end of the 2022 season, Norris was ranked #2 by ESPN for best driver on the grid, just behind 3-time World Champion Max Verstappen and outranking other World Champions like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Already, Norris has shown to be a massive talent in the sport, performing brilliantly for McLaren with consistantly good results, an impressive one lap pace, and a natural speed that can't really be taught. Even other drivers on the grid have commented on Norris's abilities, Champions like Lewis Hamilton mentioning how talented Norris is behind the wheel. And Norris still has so much to offer, being one of the youngest drivers on the grid at age 24 and having a contract that secures his seat for quite a long while.

So what's wrong?

While there's nothing inherently wrong with Lando Norris's driving, the most obvious answer to this question seems to be Max Verstappen. The Dutch Red Bull racer has won 3 World Championships and counting, and he's constantly an absolute rocket around the circuit. Time and time again, Verstappen is able to secure victories for his team, only once not standing on the top step of the podium and hearing his national anthem during the 2023 season. And that was in large part because of the combined efforts of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris in Singapore. So naturally, when put up against such a dominant driver on the track, it would be extremely difficult to be able to obtain that first place position.

Team Principle Andrea Stella has also attributed this lack of victories to not being able to provide Norris with a car fast enough to keep up with the pace of the Red Bulls. Over the course of the 2023 season, McLaren had several major issues with their car, which led to poor performances from both of their young drivers until well into the season. But this year, the team is already starting out the season stronger than before, and Stella has made mention that the team could very well be competing against Red Bull for wins later on in the season.

Is there hope for the future?

With Lando Norris's continually impressive performances and a good start to 2024, it's hard for McLaren fans not to get their hopes up. Norris has shown a lot of promise throughout his time at McLaren so far, and the team as a whole has looked to be actively developing their car and strategy for the better.

Given the statistics and facts we've seen over the course of his career, it's safe to say that Norris's trajectory is trending upward. Whether or not he's able to convert this progress into a first place victory, though, remains to be seen. Regardless, Lando Norris is definitely a driver worth keeping an eye on throughout the season, even if you're not a die-hard McLaren fan. And perhaps he'll be able to finally secure that all too elusive victory he's been chasing for years.