Norris says he missed few chances to win in 110-race wait for first F1 victory

Lando Norris challenged the claim he missed many chances to win grands prix before his breakthrough triumph in Miami yesterday.

The McLaren driver scored his first victory at his 110th attempt, leading Max Verstappen home by over seven seconds. Only seven other drivers competed in more races before winning one.

Although Norris finished on the podium seven times last year, Verstappen’s domination of the championship meant he had few chances to win anything. He singled out the Qatar sprint race, which his team mate Oscar Piastri won, as one.

“There was one opportunity, and this was Qatar last year,” said Norris. “To win the main race was maybe a bit more of an ask. I don’t know what Max’s gap to Oscar and I was, like five [or] six seconds, I think. So you can’t go against that and put that ever away. But the sprint race was the loss.

“I don’t know if there was a main race that I’ve missed out on, to be honest. And that’s obviously the more valuable one, the one that means a lot more to you.

“So I kind of want to say I don’t think there was a Sunday where I’ve thrown stuff away. I’ve thrown away maybe a podium or a P2, but I think every opportunity where I’ve been there to try and take a win, I’ve been there.

“There’s a couple of times when I’ve been blocked to those opportunities. One was Singapore last year, and Carlos [Sainz Jnr] took it. And another one was Australia this year, where the two Ferraris were ahead. Apart from that, there wasn’t a Sunday.”

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Norris arguably came closest to winning at the Russian Grand Prix in 2021, where he lost the head by staying out too long when rain fell in the closing stages, handing victory to Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver said after that race people questioned whether he could produce a winning drive, but he has felt more confident about his chances this season.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Miami International Autodrome, 2024 — Norris ended his wait for a win yesterday

“Russia ’21 was a very, very different situation to today,” he said. “A lot of people talk crap about Sochi and the things which went on. And yes, I potentially lost out on a victory, I did lose out on a victory. I and we – I never want to drag the team down, but I didn’t do the best of jobs and as a team we didn’t. So that happened.

“And as much as people like to continue to use that and say, even after China last weekend when I made a mistake in turn one on Lewis, a lot of people doubted that I could go out and win races and perform under the pressure of leading the race, especially with Max behind you and those types of things.

“But really this year I felt more confident than ever. I wasn’t thinking of these things. Probably last year I would have thought of it but this year I’ve been much better with just kind of keeping my mind focused and focusing on my job.

“I’m doing a good job. I’m fast and I’m executing things exactly how I want to do. I’ve improved on a lot of my weaknesses and all that hard work has paid off.”

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