McLaren’s Lando Norris admits to being annoyed with certain issues during 2019 F1 season but the rookie added that he understood that it happens and he can’t do anything about it.
While Norris did have a relatively successful first season in F1 where he finished 11th with 49 points, he also had several missed opportunities – whether due to his own mistakes or unfortunate circumstances. Both of which did annoyed the McLaren racer.
When asked to elaborate, Norris cited the races in France, Belgium, and Canada as particularly frustrating ones, although he tried to manage his emotions as many of these incidents were out of his control, and more due to mechanical failures, etc.
“The first few [issues] I didn’t get so annoyed about because I know it kind of happens,” started Norris to media including FormulaRapida.net. “Then I had, Spa and Paul Ricard and a few more like Canada. I got a bit more annoyed because it was happening a bit more.”
“It kind of got to the point where I was realising more it’s nothing I could change, or effect, or people around me even, it wasn’t our fault, it’s things that happen. And just mistakes that I made. So, the kind of, first few I was quite easily able to forgive.
“The next lot were frustrating, because of Spa [where I had a power loss just a lap before the finish], which would have been my best result. And then going to Mexico with the pit stop, it was like, this happens I need to move on. Nothing I can do.”
“So when I look back, it has affected a lot of things in points in the championship and so on, but a lot of it, not all of it, a lot of it’s been out of my control and things I can’t change. It’s just something I need to forget and then go into next year.”
Being a rookie, it was much to take for Norris in his first F1 season when he is looking to find his feet in the pinnacle. Aside from the frustrations, he touched on the lack of ‘shocking’ things, which he reckons is a good sign regarding his readiness to enter F1.
“There wasn’t anything,” said Norris. “A lot of people kind of asked this question and what shocked you the most or something, but there’s been nothing. I think it’s a good thing, but there’s been nothing which has caught me by surprise.
“I think the team and the amount of preparation I did last year during the winter, in the factory I did so many days, preparing for everything with the rules, with strategy, with everything. There was nothing which shocked me.
“There were a lot of things which have just been very difficult [which I didn’t expect as much] but nothing which has caught me by surprise, or made me make a big mistake, or anything like that.”
Here’s the Top 10 of 2019 as chosen by team bosses and selected drivers with Lando Norris on it
Here’s Zak Brown denouncing Lando Norris-Mercedes deal
Here’s Lando Norris on why he thinks 2019 was the apt year for F1 debut
The story was written by Duncan Leahy and edited by Darshan Chokhani
