Why Lando Norris Is Proving His Worth In 2021

Calum Gill 08:19 05/07/2021

Lando Norris is having an outstanding year so far in 2021.

His consistency this year has seen him be the only driver on the grid to have scored points at every race this year, and all of them bar one being a top 5 finish. Three podium finishes in Emilia-Romagna, Monaco and Austria have cemented Norris' status as one of the best young talents on the grid.

After a solid enough rookie year in 2019, the 21-year-old started to kick on in 2020, taking his first podium in the Austria season-opener. Norris then claimed numerous top-5 finishes on his way to helping McLaren claim third place in the constructors standings. Between his first and second season in the highest tier of motorsport, Norris' points tally nearly doubled, in a 2020 season that saw four less races take place.

Coming into the 2021 season, the Briton faced some changes in the McLaren camp. He would now find himself driving with a Mercedes power unit, as well as driving alongside a new teammate in Daniel Ricciardo after Carlos Sainz had departed for Ferrari. Many expected for Norris to meet his match against Ricciardo, but the former has proved his doubters wrong by finishing ahead of Ricciardo at every race apart from the Spanish Grand Prix.

So why is Lando really starting to prove his status as one of the best young talents on the grid?

Norris has always been tipped to do well in Formula 1 after winning junior championships such as the 2016 Toyota Racing Series, 2016 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup and the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, as well as being Formula 2 vice-champion in 2018 to George Russell. Given Norris' success in 2016 coming at the age of just 16, his racecraft and pace caught the eye of the McLaren young driver programme whom subsequently signed him up in early 2017.

His performance in the 2018 Formula 2 championship showed just why McLaren had decided to sign him up to their ranks, with a host of strong drives enabling him to finish second in the standings that year to Russell. After it was announced that McLaren would change both drivers at the end of 2018, Norris found himself in a prime spot to take one of those seats. Norris was announced as a race driver alongside Sainz for the 2019 season. While his first two years showed - at times - the talent held by Norris, he has really upped his game this year.

One of reasons behind this is his new levels of focus and lack of distractions. It was widely known that in their two years together, Norris and Sainz formed a 'bromance', and still continue to be good friends now Sainz has departed for Ferrari. And while he has a good working relationship with now-teammate Ricciardo, it is not nearly as close-knit as it was with Sainz. He has also publicly said that he has blocked out social media to help keep him concentrated on the matter in hand. When asked if he misses it by Channel 4's Steve Jones, his response was "not at all".

His determination as well not to be bogged down by unfortunate circumstances has also seen him gain increased acclaim in the paddock, as well as battling performances to gain good point hauls. An example of this at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix back in April. Norris only started seventh after his best lap in qualifying - which could have been good enough for the front row - was deleted for track limits. Norris though didn't let this faze him as he drove superbly in the race, just missing out on second place after he couldn't keep a charging Lewis Hamilton behind. Still though, the McLaren driver brought it home in third place.

There is no reason why Lando Norris cannot be a world champion in the future. The focus, commitment and determination shown by him this season to find himself in 4th place in the drivers championship at just over a third distance proves he has what it takes to become victorious in the top flight of motorsport. Given he is still only 21, he has many years ahead of him to gain the experience and know-how of Formula 1 racing. He has, in 2021, proved why he is the current lead driver at McLaren, and there is no reason why he can't sustain this form over the remainder of the season. His range of performances this year show that Lando Norris is worthy of his place in the standings so far this year.