“We have now a ton of enjoyable, simply ribbing one another your complete time,” Brown says of his {golfing} exploits with Norris. “He’s an excellent golfer, when he hits it straight,” he laughs. “You may see the expertise is there, however he’s solely in his second season. He’s quickly getting faster and higher together with his hand-eye coordination… [he’ll] be a correct golfer in not too lengthy.”
McLaren has a lengthy and profitable historical past (183 complete race wins, 12 Drivers’ Championships and eight Constructors’ Championships, to be exact). Lots of the greatest drivers in historical past have raced for them: Lauda, Senna, Häkkinen, Coulthard, Button, Hamilton. Nevertheless, amongst followers, there’s the assumption that McLaren has misplaced a few of that magic. Having not received a WWC title (ie received a complete season) since 1998, and coming 4th and fifth in 2021 and 2022, McLaren has not too long ago been positioned as “the very best of the remainder” behind Pink Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
Followers imagine Norris has each probability of bringing McLaren a title, if solely he’s given the equipment to again him up. A couple of days after our dialog, Norris makes headlines when he claims that his 2022 McLaren MCL36 is the “furthest away from what [he wants]” in a race automotive, indicating a desire for velocity over consolation. Brown is conscious of the problems, however is adamant that after Norris has the appropriate set of wheels, he’ll go all the way in which. “I feel he’s bought one other ten to fifteen years forward of him,” Brown tells me. “I feel so long as we are able to get him a automotive, he’ll be a world champion.”
It’s redundant to state that Norris desires to develop into the very best driver on the planet—nobody dedicates their life to what’s most likely probably the most harmful sport on the planet to proceed coming second. But Norris is surprisingly candid in admitting that whereas he thinks he has an excellent probability of profitable a race this yr, his greatest probability at a championship win received’t come till 2024, or, extra probably, 2025. “With every thing I’ve realized, possibly I may win a race, however I’m unlikely to win a championship till presumably that point,” he says. “I do know I must be on the absolute high of my recreation in these years.” Equipment apart, all that basically must occur for Norris to succeed is for him to remain the course.
“He takes the issues that he must take severely, very severely,” Brown explains. “However he additionally is aware of that we’re in a enjoyable enterprise, racing automobiles.”
This won’t be Norris’s season. It won’t even be subsequent season. However he’s assured that losses—like breakdowns—are simply a part of studying. The important thing factor is to get again behind the wheel and maintain going. “I hate dropping,” Norris says. “However dropping provides me the drive to determine it out and do a greater job subsequent time.”
This story initially ran on British GQ with the title “Lando Norris is coming in sizzling”
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Images by Thomas Chéné
Styled by Itunu Oke
Styling assistant Melissa Ewing
Grooming by Paul Donovan
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