"You have to learn how not to win"- Here's how McLaren's Lando Norris is adapting himself

Lando Norris admitted that to sustain a career in motorsport and F1 in specific, one has to "learn how not to win". With only twenty seats available in the sport, there is no doubt that only the best of the best make it to the pinacle of motorsport. It is a given that these drivers have grown up winning races and titles, although once the same drivers make it to F1, the same kind of success is only achieved by a select few.

Speaking to RaceFans, Lando Norris confessed that he has learned the hard truth about F1 after over three years in the sport:

“I guess, growing up, I was luckily always used to winning races and fighting for championships. You get to Formula 1 and it’s the opposite. You have to learn how not to win, almost.”

“This year, we obviously got our hopes up. Like, we’ve been on a good progression rate – the team’s in a very good position with personnel and people and we under-delivered on what we needed. So we started the year in a much trickier position than what we should have done. Therefore we’ve then been playing catch up – a big catch up, rather than little bits.”

Lando Norris reflects on first Grand Prix win in Bahrain in his Formula 2 days

Lando Norris, who has proven himself to be one of the finest drivers on the current grid, is yet to secure his maiden F1 win. Although he has not achieved this as yet, he has certainly come close, especially in 2021's Russian Grand Prix.

Comparing his experience getting frustratingly close to his maiden win in Sochi to his very first win in Formula 2 in Bahrain in 2018, the 22-year-old said:

“I mean, the pressure of leading a race, it’s been a while! I was just nervous that I was fighting for a win… well, not even fighting. Like, if I was fighting for tenth and I had a car coming up behind me with five laps to go, you’d be nervous. You’d be like ‘I just need to hold off five laps’. So I wouldn’t say I felt like it was a lot worse that I was fighting for a win.”

“There’s been plenty of times when Mercedes or Ferrari or Red Bull have been in a position and they’ve made mistakes. Charles [Leclerc]; leading a race, fighting for a championship – I wasn’t even fighting for a championship. Everyone expects us to never make mistakes, but everyone does – drivers included. It can be tough at times, but I think it definitely helped me and help the team be in a better position for when hopefully we’re in that position again.”

Lando Norris is the only driver this season outside of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes to have secured a podium, a testament to his talent and drive.