JANUARY 10, 2024

Top Ten of 2023 - Fifth - Lando Norris

Lando Norris

By Luis Vasconcelos

It doesn’t seem true that Lando Norris is still looking for his first Grand Prix win, the British driver being certainly better than quite a few of his rivals that have already stood on the top step of the podium. Having trashed Ricciardo in 2022, Norris didn’t have it easier this season because he was paired with the best rookie Formula 1 has seen since Charles Leclerc’s arrival on the scene in 2017 – Oscar Piastri.

With McLaren starting the season on the back foot, Norris scored only 12 points in the first eight races, but the first upgrade, introduced in Austria, was a game changer and from then on the British driver was on fire.

Seven podiums, but without achieving that elusive first win, out of 14 Grand Prix proved Norris is at the same level as the best, only outscored by Verstappen in the last two thirds of the season, amassing an impressive 193 points against 152 from Leclerc, the second most effective behind the Dutch from Austria until the end of the season. A couple of crucial mistakes in Q3, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, robbed Norris of potential pole positions and race wins, putting a small dent on what was, effectively, a growing season.