How Norris became more than just McLaren's leader in F1 2021

Already a rising star, Lando Norris stepped up another gear in 2021 to become one of Formula 1’s leading drivers. Becoming a regular podium finisher and taking his first pole, only the maiden win that escaped him in Sochi remains for the McLaren man, who recently sat down with Autosport to dissect his third season in F1

Alex Kalinauckas Dec 28, 2021, 10:15 AM

Upd: Dec 28, 2021, 9:32 AM

“You must do very well in your first year. But the level of delivering at 100% in every single race, this comes a bit later. You have the best examples with drivers that have been spending more than two, three years with the same team.”

That’s how Carlos Sainz Jr views a driver’s progression timeframe at a new Formula 1 team. He should know. After all, he’s raced for nearly half of the current grid. But he also knows one of the three drivers who made their F1 debuts in 2019, and this year entered the key year-three test he outlines very well: Lando Norris.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.