Lando Norris: I want to hold another hundred Grand Prix!

In Austin, Lando Norris will hold his 100th Grand Prix – the McLaren driver spoke to reporters about this and much more…

Question: 100 Grand Prix is ​​more than Jackie Stewart has had in his entire career. Are you proud of this?
Lando Norris: Certainly. Few in the world can boast of this. Not many people have a career in Formula 1 that lasts that long, but I want more, I want to do a hundred more Grands Prix – that will be my next goal.

100 races – lots of ups and downs, lots of great memories. Amazing experience. I like it.

Q: Which of these races do you consider the best?
Lando Norris: I do not know. The first pole, the first podium in Formula 1 will be remembered forever. If we talk about results, this is the winning double with Daniel Ricciardo in 2021. The two races this year were really great. The race at Silverstone can be called one of the most exciting, because it is my home stage. Now it’s time to get your first victory.

Question: Qualifying in Qatar did not go well for you due to excursions off the track. Are you going to change anything in Austin? What will your approach be?
Lando Norris: I’m not going to change anything. The fight is very fierce. I should have been on pole, or second, in both qualifyings. On Sunday we were very fast, in some stages even faster than Red Bull, so it was a weekend full of missed opportunities.

There were stages where I was not wrong at all. That’s what racing is like. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I will try not to repeat them.

Question: In Qatar we had to make three pit stops due to tire problems. What do you like more: attacking at a high pace with many pit stops, or saving your tires and pitting less often?
Lando Norris: I like both. The pace in Qatar was crazy, there were a lot of pit stops – it was amazing. But I also like those races where you have to keep an eye on the tires and control the situation.

Much depends on the tracks, tire wear and other factors. I enjoyed my time in Qatar, although the hot weather made conditions very difficult.

Q: In recent years we have seen a heavy build-up of cars on the straights, racing in very hot weather. Don’t you think enough attention is no longer paid to the health of racers?
Lando Norris: No. I don’t think anyone expected things to be this bad in Qatar. No one except Red Bull knew the build-up was going to happen. But the FIA ​​​​is doing everything necessary.

Question: How are you preparing for the stage in Las Vegas, where the weather will be very cold?
Lando Norris: I don’t think you need to prepare in any special way. I’ve been working on the simulator and as for the weather, I’ll put on warmer gloves. Well, I’m learning to play poker! (laughs)

Question: In Qatar your team made the fastest pit stop in Formula 1 history. Was this due to specific changes you made? Or did this happen for some other reason?
Lando Norris: No, no changes, just hard work. For this we have, here and at the base, a whole team that coordinates the efforts of many people, because a pit stop is not only about mechanics, but also about equipment. We have been working on this topic for a number of years, a lot of work has been done and I am happy that we have been able to challenge Red Bull on this too.

If you look at the 30 fastest pit stops, there are 25 Red Bull pit stops. But we are improving and have shown some very good results this year. So my answer is the result of hard work.

The driver must work well on the track, and the mechanics in the pit stops. They study the data, analyze it, try to improve in every aspect, are in excellent physical condition, and so on. There are no easy answers in Formula 1, but simple things sometimes make a big difference.

What’s impressive is that at a time when pit stops have to be slower than ever before due to heavier tires and limited equipment, our mechanics are even faster. This is another reason to tip our hats off to all our team members.