109 races into his Formula 1 career, Lando Norris is still searching for a first Grand Prix victory. And with each weekend that passes, it’s becoming a bigger story.
After placing second at the Chinese Grand Prix last time out, Norris has now scored 15 podiums in his career. That puts him two clear of Nick Heidfeld on the all-time list of top-three finishes without a win.
In more than half of those races (eight), he’s come home as the runner-up. He inherited his first podium at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix after a penalty for Lewis Hamilton, but four years on, he still hasn’t stood on the top step.
It may have hurt Norris to see George Russell, his compatriot and former F2 rival, break his duck at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Meanwhile, former McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz has won three races since joining Ferrari.
In Norris’ defence, he remains one of the youngest drivers on the F1 grid. Only McLaren partner Oscar Piastri, Williams’ Logan Sargeant and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda (all 23) are ahead of him in that leaderboard.
The Briton appears to have faith in his current team to deliver a race-winning car eventually. Over the winter, he signed a new long-term contract that runs until the end of 2028.
How Lando Norris responded to F1 win taunt
In an interview with The Athletic, Norris was asked about the taunts of one F1 fan following the Australian Grand Prix in March. He came home third that day as Sainz led Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari one-two following Max Verstappen’s retirement.
The spectator in question shouted ‘when are you going to win a race, Lando?’ as Norris walked through the paddock. He responded with an explicit gesture, but insists he took it in good humour.
“I found it hilarious,” he said. “The guy said it as a joke; he was laughing when he did it, I was laughing when he did it. It’s a fair point. It’s become a thing, I guess.”
Will Lando Norris join Red Bull?
When Norris committed to McLaren in the summer, the state of the driver market was very different. Lewis Hamilton’s seismic move to Ferrari has very much shaken things up.
There’s now a seat available at Mercedes, and while McLaren are out-performing the Silver Arrows right now, it wasn’t long ago Toto Wolff’s squad won eight straight championships. They may well be a force again following the 2026 regulation changes.
So soon after Norris made a fresh commitment to McLaren, Wolff has instead focused his attention on Max Verstappen. Verstappen’s future is the subject of fresh uncertainty following Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull.
And if he does exercise a clause in his contract and join Mercedes for 2026, it would open up a seat at the reigning world champions. That’s when Red Bull could come after Norris.
Director Helmut Marko has recently launched something of a charm offensive. He admits he would love to see Norris in Red Bull colours one day, and even told his dad they could help him end his victory drought.
Meanwhile, Will Buxton believes the Milton Keynes outfit will target either Norris or Piastri if they lose Verstappen. In theory, it could take an astronomical fee to buy the former out of his McLaren deal, but we’ve seen in the past that contracts often contain secret exit routes.
The post ‘I found it’: Lando Norris shares how he reacted after Australian GP heckle over wait for first F1 win appeared first on F1 Oversteer.