Lando Norris' quest for Formula 1 glory took another step forward on Sunday as the young Briton claimed his fourth win of the season in Abu Dhabi. Norris’ victory at the Yas Marina Circuit secured him a second-place finish in the driver's standings and McLaren’s first constructor's championship since 1998.
It was an outstanding evening for Norris under the bright lights controlling the race from start to finish, before declaring his ambitions on team radio to become a World Champion in 12 months' time.
As for his teammate Oscar Piastri, a first-corner collision with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ruined his outing just moments after it began. The collision spun both Piastri and Verstappen, who were fighting for second place, resulting in a 10-second penalty for the Dutchman.
The typically mild-mannered Australian made his thoughts on the incident crystal clear immediately afterward, commenting, “Move of a World Champion that one.”
As for Norris, he kept his thoughts on the incident short and sweet post-race, telling reporters Piastri had simply been "super unlucky."
Norris wound up finishing 63 points behind Verstappen in the driver’s standings this season. Looking ahead, Norris will need to take the challenge straight to the four-time World Champion from Round 1 next year — a task he admitted is never a simple one.
“Going up against Max in any state is always going to be tricky. And no one has a nice time racing Max,” he admitted when speaking after the race with The Athletic’s Luke Smith.
Despite the trials and tribulations endured racing the notoriously aggressive Verstappen, Norris also felt he’d perhaps learned the most from their tough battles.
While his admiration for Verstappen is obvious, he also noted that Mexico City represented something “of a turning point when it proved that not everything he does is perfect” - referring to the two 10-second penalties Verstappen received.
Ultimately, Norris felt he had taken a big step in the right direction in 2024, although if he’s to challenge for the crown in a year, he knows he has work to do.
“This season's been my best season from a performance, like personally,” he said.
“Was it good enough? Probably it wasn't, no. But when you look at my own performance and my qualifying performances, for instance, they've been almost twice as good as what I was last year, especially comparing to the other guys in exactly the same car.”
