Lando Norris has been told to “cherish” every podium he claims in Formula 1, even if it’s not in the form of victory.
The McLaren driver’s P2 at last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix saw him match Nick Heidfeld’s record for the most podiums without a win, which stands at 13.
With two races still remaining this season and with McLaren looking very strong, it’s widely expected that Norris will make this record his own perhaps as soon as the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It’s perhaps not the sort of record Norris was dreaming of becoming the holder of, although he’s been told that his rivals will be “much more disappointed”.
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So many F1 drivers never step foot on the podium, making Viaplay’s Allan Kalff believe that Norris should “cherish” the special moments regardless of what step on the rostrum he’s on.
“You very rarely win, unless you are Max Verstappen,” Kalff told Viaplay’s In the Slipstream. “You almost never win, so you have to cherish a podium.”
“There are many who have never been on the podium. They must be much more disappointed [than Norris].”
Kalff jokingly added: “If you want to be depressed, you should drive [in] Formula 1.”
Norris has been exceptional this season and certainly does deserve a victory, although with Max Verstappen on the grid the chances of claiming a maiden win are drastically reduced.
The McLaren driver’s strong performances have seen him move up to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, with him being just a few points behind Fernando Alonso for fourth.
Whether the 23-year-old and McLaren will be strong in Sin City is currently unknown, given how little is known about the new street track.
Las Vegas will be an unpredictable weekend where anything can happen, although Norris admits that it’s “unlikely” he’ll win before the end of 2023.
“Unlikely,” Norris told Sky Sports. “Not the answer I want to tell myself or anyone but it’s unlikely. Qatar was our best opportunity. I guess that’s why I was so tough on myself back then because I knew it was our only opportunity.
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“We have good tracks and bad tracks, it’s just we have our very, very strong tracks. We still have some good ones I think but not ones where we think we can compete with the others.
“Some fun ones. Vegas is still a big question mark but there are no high-speed circuits which is where we are very strong. It’s where we have always been strong and we are almost on par with Red Bull in the high-speed corners, it’s just the slow speed is letting us down at the minute.
“We understand it and know it’s our area to focus on and improve on. When it comes together, probably not this year but next year, I think we can do some good things.”