Lando Norris explains one of F1’s toughest courses, the start to the year for McLaren, and more

Confidence is a hard trait to gauge, especially when the attempt is made over a video conference and with less than 30 minutes at your disposal.

But Lando Norris is an incredibly confident person.

Even over a screen, even across the globe, even over just a few minutes, Norris’ confidence leaps out at you. And why not? If you are one of just 20 people on the planet allowed to do a job — in this case navigate a rocketship on wheels at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour through some of the most harrowing race tracks on the planet, competing against 19 similarly confident people — you better bring your A game.

Norris’s confidence might come as a surprise right now, given the slow start to the season for McLaren, but the young driver is confident about both the present, and the future, for himself, and the team.

I chatted with Norris ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and we talked about the start to the season for the team, the positive results in Melbourne, the growth of the sport worldwide, and why those living in Monaco could possibly see him and his friends pushing a Fiat Jolly uphill sometime soon.

It was not the best start to the season for Norris and McLaren.

Certainly some bad luck played a role. Norris struggled with a pressure leak in the Bahrain Grand Prix, which required him to make multiple pit stops over the course of the race. Then some debris on the opening lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix required another early stop, and left both Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri out of the points when all was said and done.

But Melbourne — and the chaotic finish to the Australian Grand Prix — offered some redemption. McLaren headed into the extended April break with double points from Melbourne, and found themselves up in fifth place in the Constructors’ standings, ahead of Alpine and behind Ferrari.

Still, Norris would not go as far as saying this was the start of the “McLaren Comeback:”

“Too early to say that. But I think it was a very good weekend, it was more on par with what we wanted. We’re still, maybe not in the best position, the car has had some small changes and some small improvements so far since the beginning but we’re still very far from our goals, from where we set our targets to this year,” said Norris about the start to the season. “It’s a tough start, I’m sure there’s still going to be some tough races coming up…we did have a very good weekend in Melbourne, trying to keep that up will be very tough though. We’ll do our best, we’re going to Baku, Baku many things can happen, there’s been some great races there in the past, a lot of chances, a lot of opportunities for people. We’ll just keep chipping away, keep making the most of it, and trying to do more stuff like we did in Melbourne. But it’s not going to be easy by any stretch.”

However, the team is bringing some upgrades to Baku for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix which should improve the MCL60, and give Norris and Piastri more confidence behind the wheel. “We’ve got a couple new bits on the car which is good, the team’s done a very good job to get them for now. But I think these are the things I think we said we should have started the season with,” said the driver. “But we’ve got them now, which I think is the main thing. They should definitely move the car forward.”

The upgrades may still take some time to sort out, and this weekend might not provide the best proving ground for the tweaked MCL60. “[Baku’s] not maybe the best track to show that, and to prove that exactly. It’s a bit more biased, and the places it’ll help improve the car maybe aren’t shown that much on this track, maybe a little bit more in Miami,” added Norris. “It’s definitely going to be a step forward, definitely going to be some things to help the car give me some more confidence and Oscar too. That’s a good thing, that’s what we want. And for now it’s the small steps forward that we’re needing to just getting us one or two more points when we can make those opportunities.”

From the outside looking in, the Baku City Circuit seems like one of the toughest tests an F1 driver faces over the course of the schedule. Now, some of this is likely user error. After all, my video game skills are rather lacking, but every time I try and weave my way through the streets of Baku on my XBox, it ends poorly.

I’ve never had to do that from the wheel of an F1 car. Norris, of course, has.

He walked me through the Baku City Circuit, the challenges it poses, what fans can look for when it comes to overtaking, and why my poor video gaming skills can illustrate a point about the track itself.

Generally speaking, Baku is, in a word, “punishing.” But to build on that, it is also “good fun.”

What makes it fun? The speed: “The fact is it’s a street circuit with close to some of the highest speeds that we achieve.”

However, there is a lot more to the circuit, including some elevation changes which as Norris puts it, give the track some character. “It’s got one of the longest full throttle periods of this season, from what I remember. It’s just very fast, very high speed in places, a lot of big braking zones with not a lot of runoff. Not a lot of opportunities to make mistakes or allowance to make mistakes,” added Norris. “Which is punishing, you pay the price as soon as you push it that little step too far both in qualifying or in the race. Difficult also because it’s not a completely flat circuit, which is nice, I think that’s what brings some good character to it, it’s got that little hill section in the middle, it’s got some elevation which adds to it, makes it more fun to drive, brings some more character to it, and I think that’s why a lot of the drivers do enjoy it and do say it’s one of the better tracks. Good fun, and normally good opportunities to race, and to overtake.”

As for those overtaking opportunities, Norris wants fans to keep their eyes on the first sector this weekend. “The majority [of overtaking opportunities] are in the bigger straights, so end of the start/finish into Turn 1, and because of the nature of Turn 1, those overtakes can continue, so you can set it up in Turn 1, it follows through into Turn 2, and all the way into Turn 3, and actually for a few corners longer that that,” described Norris, as I furiously took notes for the weekend. “You’re able to keep a battle alive for quite a long part of the track. So the first sector is the main part of it, some big breaking zones to dial up the inside, very good opportunities for yourself, opportunities because other people make mistakes and it’s easy to make mistakes, and long straights so good chances to get some DRS, slipstream, and force some mistakes hopefully.”

Norris then politely humored me, as I asked about the difficult — in my view — third sector. Drivers come out of Turn 16, a left-hand turn at the start of the third sector, and weave their way back to the start finish line. Watching this race over the years, and trying to navigate that part of the course in the virtual world, always proved challenging, and felt so constricted.

It turns out, I am not alone in that assessment.

“It’s a little bit of a shock,” said Norris about the third sector. “When you walk it the track’s very wide, and it looks wide, but when you’re in the car going whatever speeds that we do it gets a lot narrower than what it looks when you’re walking it. It is tough, especially when you’re battling with people, and making those judgements of where you’re going to end up around those kinds of corners, and some parts do get a lot narrower, so positioning yourself in the right position for when the track narrows up is part of the challenge of it.”

However, in Norris’ mind, the challenges posed by the third sector help to make the track as enjoyable as it is. “But it’s good fun, because it’s rewarding when you put things together, and it’s a risk/reward kind of circuit, which is always a good challenge for us.”

Over the extended break, F1 posted a video on social media asking the drivers about some hobbies or passions they have away from the grid.

That’s when Norris talked about his latest interest: Classic cars.

One recent acquisition? A Fiat Jolly. As he admits, it is perhaps the furthest thing in the world from an F1 car.

But it is perfect for him.

“The Jolly, like you said, was for a while the only car I had to drive in Monaco. No roof, I took the whole roof rack off. 15 horsepower, couldn’t be more opposite to a Formula 1 car.”

And that lack of horsepower could mean that those living in Monaco could see Norris and his friends pushing it up a hill sometime soon. “[I]t struggles to get up the hills and things like that, especially when I’ve got some friends in it. So maybe not the best thing for the car, but just very fun for Monaco. It’s all I need, for the south of France really. We’ve gone out to some cafes or along the beach and things like that. It’s a perfect little car, just relaxing, no roof, no doors, wind in your hair kind of thing, enjoying the sunshine. So it’s just relaxed, and fun.”

However, the Fiat is not the only recent addition to his collection. Norris is also very excited about his first personal McLaren, which he fully customized, but has not yet gotten the chance to drive. “I also just picked up my first personal McLaren which I’ve customized and it’s actually just been delivered up to Monaco so I haven’t had a chance to drive it yet,” said Norris. “Looks amazing, my first proper personal car which is pretty incredible, its a car that I’ve dreamed of being able to have when I was a kid, and now I’ve got a chance to have my own one so very excited about that.”

One of the biggest storylines surrounding F1 this season is the continued growth of the sport into the United States market. With three races here in the States this season, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, excitement is high regarding F1 in the US.

Norris, and the rest of the grid, feel that excitement as well.

Especially when it comes to Vegas in November.

“I am indeed,” said Norris when I asked him about whether he was excited about the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “I’m pretty sure you ask any driver and they’ll all say the same. Of course. Vegas is ... it’s Vegas. It’s the place everyone in the world knows of or has seen on TV and movies, and it just looks like a very exciting place, full of life and character.”

Of course, rocketing down the Vegas strip at night adds to the flavor.

“We look forward to it, to be the guys on the streets, kinda stopping Vegas from running how it normally runs is a pretty cool event to be doing and to be part of, especially because it’s on a Saturday night,” added Norris. “A night race makes it even more special with the lights, and on the strip. I can’t wait. I’ve not driven the circuit on the simulator, but it’s going to be incredible and I really can’t wait for that.”

Vegas is just one of the three races in the States this year, and Norris also talked at length about his love for Austin, and the Circuit of the Americas. “I love Austin, I have since we first went there. It’s one of the most fun, enjoyable races of the whole year,” added Norris. “I think one of the highest-attended races of the last year. Cool people, a lot of fun.”

Perhaps what caught his attention the most was when I relayed a quick story to him about speaking at Career Day at my daughter’s elementary school last week, and the number of not just F1 fans I spoke to among the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade set, but Lando Norris fans. “That means even more to me personally, if they aspire to be a racing driver or want to follow a bit of my path, I think that’s pretty special, I think that’s an amazing thing to have.”

The future of F1 here in the United States certainly looks bright, and Norris is a big part of that future.

As for the future — and the present — for McLaren? Their hopes for a comeback start this weekend on the streets of Baku. We wound down our discussion with a look at Norris’ expectations for this weekend, and beyond.

“Tough question. Points now is what we’re aiming for,” said Norris about his expectations for the season. “I think that’s a realistic thing. We’ve got four very quick teams now, Aston have made that big step forward, and there’s eight spaces on the grid which get taken up very quickly. It’s a tough battle behind, we’re very close, it’s a good battle with Alpine, they were very quick in Australia too, and definitely a step ahead of us.”

However, as he noted, the team is in the fight.

“But we’re in that fight to try and score some points,” he added. “So it’s to stay out of trouble, especially in a sprint race like Baku, points for us is the target for now, just to take those steps forward every now and then, we’ve got some big upgrades coming later in the season, so keep chipping away and keep working at them, and just take it one race at a time for now.”

That fight begins anew on the streets of Baku.