Driver Deep Dive #3 Lando Norris

The transcript is a podcast episode discussing the career and potential of Formula One driver Lando Norris. The host talks about Norris's popularity, his performance on the track, and his social media presence. They also discuss McLaren's future and the challenges they face in catching up to other teams. The host expresses admiration for Norris and believes he has a bright future in Formula One. However, they also raise concerns about the possibility of Norris leaving McLaren for another team. oh boy oh boy okay this is going to be a fun one today so let's just welcome you right now to the f1 fun cast the most interactive formula one podcast where our goal is to keep f1 fun so today we're going to have another installment of the driver deep dive series I've just finished up my research on one mr. Lando Norris and I'm really excited to tell you guys you all about mr. Norris but before we get into that I just want to take a minute and thank the crew chief for coming on here on the last episode if you haven't had a chance to listen to it I would highly recommend checking out his introductory episode here on the f1 fun cast we got a lot of great reviews and a lot of positive feedback so the chief is definitely going to be a regular here on the show we're working on something now in the lead-up to Baku and some other interesting you know history tidbits of formula one and if you did listen to that you definitely can tell that he has a lot more thorough and not just deep but wide knowledge of auto racing of all types and especially formula one so it's going to be great to have him on here on a regular basis and I think I'm still going to do these individual research projects like the driver deep dives and maybe we'll get into the team deep dives and things like that but it's definitely going to be nice to have the chief on here the crew chief I think he's just going to go by chief maybe I don't know well maybe we'll take a poll about that but really happy to have him on board and happy to have you here with us if you found us from Instagram or Twitter you can also email us at f1 fun cast at gmail or like I said if you found your way here through Twitter or Instagram you've probably seen some of the things I've been posting and some of the interactions are really really going up and people seem to be engaging and it's it's very exciting and I know it's been a long time out there for the in the break here between Baku and where were we Australia so we're really working hard on our end over here to give you as much content and as much fun new stuff to listen to in the meantime but I think today when I'm recording actually marks the halfway point to the qualifying in Baku so that's exciting and yeah so this is the driver deep dive we're going to get into it here on the f1 fun cast today and I was really interested because Lando Norris came up and that wasn't really a surprise for me online he seems to be one of these popular younger drivers who really has a big online following and seems to be part of this crew of younger guys who are on the on their way up that are really exciting and they have a lot of fans behind them but also I do have a lot of McLaren faithful that follow us on Twitter and I think I think McLaren between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have a really cool fun young core and but this will do it this will do it for McLaren 2023 on the driver deep dives so you know two out of three were on McLaren so we're going to have to move on to two newer teams and as these go on I'm going to be learning more about people and drivers that have longer histories in the sport so those episodes will most likely be longer and it's great but I enjoyed I always say it but I did I enjoyed reading up about mr. Lando Norris and his path to formula one and and how he's doing so far and I've got to say before we get into the specifics I just have to say he really Lando Norris seems to be really hitting the nail on the head I think with what f1 wants from their young guys I'm watching him on the social media platforms he really seems to get it you know he's engaging and he's got a lot of fans and this week he went you know semi-formula one viral for this picture of him in this really long full body coat he kind of looked like a Slenderman or something if you remember Slenderman from those years ago but he seems to have the right I don't want to say the right stuff but he's got a little bit of that it factor that I'm sure it factor that I'm sure that formula one is looking for in their younger drivers and I think McLaren is very pleased with his performance and his intangibles off off the grid and on I am sure they're looking forward to trying to keep him around for as long as possible because he is one of the better young drivers and he is really on the upswing and for a team that's that's struggling and maybe treading water a little bit right now I'm sure they're really have their hopes and future pegged on Lando so let's get into the nitty into the nitty-gritty a little bit and talk mr. Lando Norris so Lando was born on November 13th 1999 that makes him 23 years old as of the day of recording this and it made him just over a month and a half old on the the Millennium New Year which is really something to think about for me since I can remember that new year very well and what a big deal it was and little Lando never never worried one day about why 2k or turning to the 2000s or all that crazy stuff we all were so worried about but and so he was welcomed home in Bristol England in the United Kingdom and he grew up from what I read and from what I have read about him it seems to me like his first love was actually motorbike racing and not not four-wheel but he was more of a two-wheel guy and he happened to find his way and fall in love with with the open-wheel concept of a Formula One he was a star from very young you know he was one of these guys that people knew once he hit the grid that there was some talent there and you know there's a long list if you want his Wikipedia of everything he did from 2012 all the way up through when he kind of got on the more international radar but we're not going to go through all of that at the moment but he did win the 27 2018 Formula two championships which if you've listened to the other deep dives an f2 championship certainly seems like the springboard to Formula one all these guys that I've read up on seem to if you don't win Formula two you are never going to get a seat or even a look really in Formula one and again I could be wrong maybe as we go through on these diver deep driver deep dives that I will find and learn about plenty of guys that didn't race in an f2 and found their way onto the Formula one grid but so far for me the trend is f2 champion and then eventual Formula one seat but feel free to let me know if I'm wrong about that or if someone jumps to your mind as I'm saying this and you want to scream into the into your headphones or radio then then email me or let me know because I'd love to know I guess in 20 the next season after winning his f2 championship it seems like Lando had kind of a down year he won the opening race in Bahrain and then had a bit of a tough time and I'm not sure if that is because he kind of was looking beyond his f2 years and knew there was going to be an opportunity for him in Formula one or if you become complacent or what the deal is but I believe in any any type of industry once you hit the top it's hard to if you hit the top of your level it's hard to continue playing or performing or working at that level if you know there's something beyond that and I imagine that after winning the f2 championship and not immediately finding his way onto the f1 grid that may have happened a little bit for Lando and it's only understandable and I I think it happens everywhere but so the the 20 f2 season wasn't the greatest for Lando but I'm sorry the 2019 but he found himself in 2019 McLaren had had found him and got him a seat into into f1 and he made his debut in 2019 at the Australian Grand Prix and it's interesting because as you look and says first entry last entry for Lando right now his first entry was the 2019 f1 Grand Prix in Australia and his most recent entry is this year's Australian Grand Prix which we all know was a bit of a cluster but just some interesting symmetry when you look on Lando's page and it goes you know Australia in Australia but wait a week or two and that'll change but I just one of those things that caught my eye as I was looking at it and big symmetry numbers guy but so since Lando's debut in 2019 he has made 85 starts in Formula One and that has and he's finished on six six podiums so if you ask me six podiums since 2019 in the landscape that has been dominated by Red Bull, Mercedes and really the top dogs eating I think it's I think it's great to see Lando's had six podiums and his best finish was the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza where he finished second and he actually had a pole position in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix a race that was eventually won by Lewis Hamilton but it just shows you Lando does have the pace I mean these are cars that people have struggled with Daniel Ricciardo can't get couldn't get the most out of his McLaren so for Lando to be so young and getting it seems like he's one of these drivers that gets the most out of his car and really knows how to work with what he has to get the most out of it where some more veteran drivers might be more likely to want the car to respond to them or they've developed certain habits I guess that could be difficult even this week I was reading about Lewis Hamilton complaining about the Mercedes car this year because it's not responding the way he likes it where a younger driver like George Russell has more capability maybe more malleability flexibility to adjust to what the car is giving him rather than the car adjusting to the driver I'm not sure if that's something if that's a real thing but it seems like if you ask me that the older drivers and again there's always an exception Fernando Alonso is not complaining in that Aston Martin but it seems like the older drivers might have more stubbornness when it comes to what they expect a car to do and how a car should react to them whereas these younger drivers are more apt to go with the flow and figure out the way to get the maximum out of their car I could be wrong but it seems like a trend that I'm starting to notice and not to say one way is right or wrong but these younger guys definitely seem more flexible and Lando is a great example of that with what he's been able to do in that McLaren these past couple years but so the the 85 starts has Lando Norris sitting with 436 points at this point in his career not too bad three years in to to his career 436 points hopefully when you're listening to this in the future that number is way up email in and let me know if 436 is low if you're listening to this in a month or five months or a year or five years hopefully Lando Norris has had many more pole positions many more podiums a couple first-place finishes you know I would love for to get those emails one day saying little did you know Lando was about to have his first win two weeks from when you recorded that I'd love to hear that but you know may not be the case immediately it could take some time but the future I definitely think is bright for Lando Norris in Formula One and so in 2022 Lando finished seventh on the grid in the same now remember 2022 that was the car Daniel Ricciardo really couldn't get anything out of and essentially McLaren had to buy him out and get him out of the seat because the finishes were so poor and so he was so off the pace and so far behind his teammate that for Lando to finish seventh in the drivers in 2022 that's that's a pretty I mean that's a strong endorsement for a driver so young with I don't want to say inexperienced if you again if you look at his rap sheet he's got more races under his belt than I've ever dreamed of but it does say something for him to be able to push that car a lot more than a veteran experienced driver like Daniel Ricciardo and so far in 2023 you know we've only had the three races we had Bahrain Saudi Arabia and Australia and Lando was pointless in pointless I hate saying pointless it's not pointless so you had a reason for being out there it wasn't pointless but he came home without point in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia but then in the Australian Grand Prix if you remember the the triple red flags chaos of that was Australia this year Lando finished in sixth place and he got his eight points for the start of the season so he's sitting there with eight points I'm not sure I didn't write it down I'm kicking myself but I believe every driver every team at this point has points in the 2023 season so for Lando I think eight points is good but he's probably hoping for a little bit more I think I think there's more more to come points wise for Lando in that McLaren this year and it's tough to say whether I feel the same for Piastri his teammate but 2023 and beyond definitely seems to be pointed in a good direction for mr. Norris and speaking a little bit about Lando's future with McLaren I was just looking and noticing he is signed through the 2025 season at McLaren which I think is a great deal for for the team it seems like they really have a nice core there with he and Piastri as the young drivers and and if you didn't listen to the driver deep dive on Piastri I encourage you to do so it was a couple weeks ago now at this point but Norris and Piastri signed through 2025 at McLaren is a bright future type of type of situation and they keep I know McLaren people they don't want to say they're making excuses but they're getting a little bit tired of the well when our wind tunnel is upgraded or well when these things come through or we didn't know until it was too late you know for the 2023 season with the certain ways they've fallen behind this year it will be interesting if they do complete these upgrades and they do complete the the wind tunnel and all the different things that they keep pointing to as headwinds for them if they can turn those into tailwinds with Norris and Piastri in their cars that stability for the future could be something really to point at on the schedule on the calendar if it's a year from now or two years from now I do see McLaren's lineup and what they're trying to do it's just a matter of are they are they so far behind that even if you're playing catch up the people and teams that you're trying to chase are you know they're already running while you're learning to jog they're they're at a full sprint at this point and does that eat away does that time value eat away at your your ability to play catch up or will the gains from your new facilities be so vast that you outpace the gains being being made by your rivals that's really an interesting interesting thing for McLaren to to weigh and for McLaren fans out there to think about going forward because the pieces are in place right the young drivers are in place and the the facilities are being upgraded and there are changes happening in the right direction but you have to hope that they they shoot the moon and everything comes up the way they want it to because if it doesn't you could see by 2025 piastri and mr. Norris being frustrated and running getting a bit of a wandering eye if these promises keep falling a little short if by the time your facilities upgrades are come through and you can point the team in that direction if you've already fallen so far behind that your drivers have become frustrated and begin to look elsewhere it's it's very interesting because you can see the long game but you can also see the short game in terms of there have to be results in the immediate and we're very early into the 2023 season so far but in the immediate they they seem to be sliding siding a little bit McLaren as a formula one team seems to be sliding a little bit against the grain and slipping backwards even in the same way you could say Mercedes has where their concept wasn't quite on par with everyone else and they they didn't quite they took a bit of their own path and that path seems to be a little bit more thorny and treacherous than it needed to be if they had followed the fall of the herd and now there's something to be said about being a bold leader or being a team that doesn't want to follow the herd that thinks the gains and the progress that needs to be made has to be through this rough patch has to be over these thorn bushes but it sure can be tempting to look down the other path and see where teams are moving right along at full tilt without without having to step on those thorns the whole way so again it's just very interesting the dynamic at play with the longer term extensions for the younger drivers but then the headwinds that you hope to turn to tailwinds I'd really know I'd really like to know what you think about that what how you weigh that if you're a McLaren fan out there and you're listening to this I'm not trying to say that your team is making the wrong decisions show me and tell me why these are the exact right steps or these are you know the gains will be there if you're if you're punting on 2023 so to speak is it worth it for the 2024 season you know or if you think that maybe you're a McLaren fan and you agree that this could be some slippage that could be hard to make up let me know what you would rather have them do and what what should be done to kind of stop the slide and and grab the you know I picture like you're sliding down a slippery rock and you're just looking for somewhere to get a toe or a finger in there and grab on and hold on tight before you can start to climb again and if you're that McLaren fan out there that thinks they know where that where that hold is but you can grab yourself and stop the slide or if it's already stopped and I'm not seeing it let me know please don't don't hesitate to to call me out on Twitter or Instagram or wherever because as I always say I'm learning about these things and I'm just observing with my eyes and you all out there certainly have much more perspective and much more you know how should I put it much more much more knowledge much more depth and width of knowledge just like the the chief has and I can't wait to ask him some of these questions myself and and see what he thinks and this this I didn't mean for this to turn into the McLaren is slipping a little bit podcast I just I'm looking at it and I would be if I was a McLaren fan having Lando Norris I mean I couldn't be more excited he's everything you want in a Formula One driver at this point he's got the pedigree he's got the points he's got the podiums he's got the the following you know I don't want to say anything we stay out of the personal stuff here on the f1 fun cast but Lando seems to know what he's doing when it comes to social media and who his followers are and how loyal they are to him and that's that's the right thing if you're a McLaren fan that's the guy you want leading the way and I'm just wondering are you worried about potentially losing him to a team that might be might have a free seat in a year or two and not having the headwinds you know but as far as the driver goes you couldn't be more happy with a Lando Norris if you're in the I always call it the papaya kingdom but if you're in that papaya orange and and he's your guy you couldn't be happier and the future is very very bright but it's just a matter of keeping him on that team if we're talking Lando Norris the driver and we take away the McLaren factor I think the future couldn't be brighter the sky couldn't be the ceiling couldn't be higher and it's just a matter of where that ceiling is going to be is he going to smash through it with McLaren or is he you know does it does he end up getting poached a little bit because when you have a talent like Lando you're going to have competition for his services as well so it's just a very interesting thing and a very interesting dynamic and but as far as as far as Lando I just I couldn't think of anything more any higher praise for him he really I'm really impressed with him really impressed with his attitude his work ethic his his ability to be there for his team be there for his fans and I just want all the best for this young man going forward and hope that he does whatever the limit is he gets to it and passed it to infinity and beyond trademark Walt Disney Corporation I don't want to get sued so I guess I shouldn't even say it but really let me know let me know what you think about Lando am I overselling it am I missing some flaws is he do you think he could be out of a seat in two years and off to another venture let me know at f1 fun cast gmail Instagram Twitter please give this a share please you know talk if you talk f1 with your friends family if you talk to your dog your cat your frog let them know about the f1 fun cast because this is the place we want to be fun and we just want to keep it positive and keep keep this a place for anyone who's interested in these drivers these teams the future the past the great stories of formula one this is the place for you this is the community for you and I can't wait to get the chief back on here next week to talk about we're going to talk technical stuff he's going to teach me about all the different innovations and the things that have come and gone over the years in formula one and the changes that have been positive and the random changes that have disappeared without a trace and it's just for me it's an exciting time and I hope it's an exciting time for you all out there we're halfway to Baku we can do this we're in this together we we've waited this long Australia those red flags are fading from memory and let's turn our sights to Azerbaijan and thank you for joining me thank you for being a part of this and I can't wait to talk to you all again next week until then I'm gonna get the heck out of here