Lando Norris attacks his 100th Grand Prix

Bit by bit, Lando Norris is getting more and more established. In Austin, he is going to pass the milestone of 100 Grand Prix races. The lengthening of the seasons obviously allows him to reach this total more quickly. We can thus remember that Sir Jackie Stewart only raced 99 races but he is nonetheless a triple world champion.

For his young compatriot, the record is more limited but has significantly expanded this season as it now includes 1 pole position, 11 podiums (including three consecutive ones in the last three races) and 5 best laps in the race.

When questioned on the subject, he acknowledged that this symbolic figure marked a milestone for him: « I am quite proud. Few people in the world make it. Among those who make it to F1, not many make it to 100. Obviously, I want a lot more, and it’s always my next goal. But in 100 races, there have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of very good memories. »

But he does not fail to emphasize that he is still missing the most important thing: obtaining that famous first victory, which eludes him so much. Thus, it was indeed Daniel Ricciardo who signed at the Monza double in 2021 and it was Oscar Piastri who signed the victory in the Sprint in Qatar. This latest success was all the more painful as the Briton felt like he missed his chance since his lap in qualifiers was canceled due to not respecting the track during the two qualifying sessions: « I should have been in pole position both times … I say both times but Saturday, it’s certain. Maybe not Sunday but at worst, I would have been first and second. When I realized where we could have been and what could have happened in the race, how our race pace was on Sunday. At certain moments, we were faster than Red Bull. I think I missed a big opportunity. »

For this 100th race, Lando Norris however expects a difficult weekend because the characteristics of the Texas circuit do not match the strong points of his single-seater: « There are a lot of low-speed bends. I am clearly not as confident. However, I’m not saying that we’re going to have a bad weekend. I think we can still fight. We will have to fight more. »

To celebrate this 100th race, he obviously adorned himself with a special helmet, with 100 stickers recalling the different races contested.

100 races, 100 stickers. Here’s to the next 100 🎂 pic.twitter.com/PMizEO0IzY

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) October 19, 2023

From our special correspondent in Austin