Lando Norris is entering his home race at the F1 British GP hoping to keep the momentum flowing from his flawless weekend in Austria. Will he be able to make it back to back wins for the first time in his Formula One career?
The McLaren driver is coming to the British Grand Prix with his own Grandstand and a confidence boost. Speaking in the press conference on his anticipation coming into his home race, Norris stated how it is all a positive distraction.
“I’m very excited for everything. Every day is one to look forward to.
“The driving on the track is still the best bit, but I’ve already done some stuff this morning. We did Trafalgar Square yesterday, which was pretty special. I went over to the stands earlier this morning.
“So plently of things for me to look forward to. All good things, all exciting things, more like a positive distraction than anything else.
“And of course, coming off Austria is a nice feeling too. So, ready to get going!”
Lando Norris on what it would be like to win the F1 British Grand Prix
The young Briton has finished in the top six at Silverstone in his six years with McLaren and in Formula One but he has never won the race.
Norris explained how winning his home GP at Silverstone would be a dream come true and how it differs from winning in Monaco.
“I think it’s tough to put something above Monaco, but I said it before Monaco that if I could win anything, if i could swap all race wins for one, it would be for a Silverstone win.
“So, it’s a plan. Obviously, a lot of work, a lot of things to do before then.
“But Monaco is special. I think they’ll be very different, for different reasons. Monaco is just the history, what it means to everyone and the people who have won there.
“Silverstone is because its my home race, and the British fans and the Lando fans, all those guys.
“So, different reasons. But it’ll be the one that probably puts the biggest smile on my face, bigger than Monaco.
“It’s the one that since when i was a kid and since I first started watching Formula 1 that I’ve wanted to win the most.”
Lando Norris on his confidence in the car
After struggling with his confidence in his car this season, Lando Norris was able to execute a flawless qualifying session in Austria without any mistakes as he took pole by half a second.
When asked about whether his confidence and performance in Austria can follow him to the British Grand Prix, Norris discussed how he wants to replicate it.
“It’s definitely my goal to do something like that again. I think especially from a qualifying point of view, my lap in Q3 was probably one of the best laps I’ve ever done in quali.
“So, in some ways, I want to be confident that if I can replicate it, then no one can beat it.
“Thats how good it felt. But I also know how hard it is to achieve that every single weekend in the first place. So, it’s a tricky one.’
Norris went on to explain that he is focused on the weekend ahead.
“All I can do is focus on this weekend, focus on practice, then quali, then the race.
“I also don’t have the expectation that I’m going to do it every weekend. I have the desire, but not the expectation to have a weekend like that every single weekend.
“Like I said, all I can do is work on my job one step at a time. The team do their stuff, and together we try to achieve it more than once.”
Norris’ opinion on McLaren’s suspension change
McLaren have recently brought some upgrades to their car, one being a change in suspension to help the Brit feel more comfortable.
In response to a question about how he is feeling after running the new suspension for a couple of races and how a decision to change something on the car is made, Lando Norris described how it was for the feel of the car and not the performance.
“It wasn’t like, we know this is going to help, it’s going to do a better job. It’s also not a performance item.
“It is not something we’ve got and gone, now we’re going to be quicker. It’s something that might change how the feeling is to the steering and to the front suspension.
“But because you go track to track, it’s not something you can necessarily just change between sessions. It’s not where I can go out and give a clean answer to the team. It’s one where I’ve just got to have the confidence and belief in the guys and the girls who have put it together and thought of it.”
Regarding how the new suspension felt in the last two races, Norris stated how he feels like they unlocked a bit more in the car.
“I certainly felt more in Austria. Canada is a very seperate one and the car is always all over the place, so it’s hard to judge things there. But certainly in Canada, I felt like we unlocked a little bit more, but I also don’t feel like I’m still back to the level necessarily that I was at last year, with feeling, understanding and things like that.
“I’m working very hard with my team to understand more things and tried more stuff in the simulator and expand my vocabulary of driving in a way.
“I certainly wasn’t happy. I made that clear to the team, and I think I was therefore in a position where the team got to work on their side and I got to work on my side. Together we made some improvements, and I’m happy with that so far.”
Can Norris find the same confidence in the car he had around Austria in Silverstone?
Lando Norris has the a chance to win the F1 British Grand Prix this weekend following the high of his win in Austria. During the press conference the McLaren driver was asked about whether he would be able to continue to find a good feeling in the car around Silverstone and make a difference against his teammate Oscar Piastri.
“If there’s any place you would hope I can ‘find my garden’ it’s here.
“I definitely felt a little bit more back on track in Austria, but it’s not a guarantee that I’m going to have the same feelings here.
“Sometimes it can be very track specific, tarmac specific, tyre temperature, whatever.
“I certainly felt better, certainly felt more back in the rhythm.
“My quali lap in Q3 was one of the best I’ve ever done. I certainly got that feeling, a bit more of the old me back, but I’m also not one to ever just say I’m back.
“I think I’ve got to prove that with consistency and prove it to myself as always.
“Austria just gives you more motivation coming here to try and achieve a similar thing to last weekend. You always want to feel like your home race gives you a bit more of an advantage. So, I hope that’s the case this weekend.”
Lando Norris comes into his home Grand Prix with a win behind him. Hoping to bring this momentum with him on the track to win at Silverstone with McLaren.
