‘It's weird but also insanely cool': McLaren's Lando Norris on the dream and dilemma fueling his F1 title ambitions
How do you work alongside a colleague for the greater good of your team and simultaneously vie with them to win the ultimate prize in motorsport?
That unenviable dilemma is one that McLaren's Lando Norris is trying to navigate as one of the most tantalizing Formula One title races in recent memory plays out against teammate Oscar Piastri.
With both drivers seeking their maiden world titles and just 15 points separating the two ahead of the midpoint of the 2025 season at this weekend's British Grand Prix, Norris' conscience is clear. His eyes are very much set on fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a world champion.
'I've always been very (accommodating) of having a teammate and also always realizing I want to beat everyone,' the 25-year-old tells CNN Sport's Amanda Davies.
'It doesn't matter what color car they're in. It doesn't matter if they're my teammate or not. In racing you want to be at the top. We've always made it very clear that we want to beat each other, but understand how we work together as a team and how we can help the team move forward.
'We know we're competitors, we know we're rivals … I think we both understand what it takes.'
Although in recent seasons the drivers' championship has been a largely foregone conclusion thanks to the dominant brilliance of Max Verstappen, the 2025 season has been anything but that.
The lead has ebbed and flowed on several occasions, largely passed between the two McLaren drivers in an engaging game of cat and mouse.
Norris, who finished runner-up last year, may have started out the season as the favorite to end Verstappen's run of four consecutive titles, but he's so far been eclipsed by his younger teammate, Piastri, who's won five races to Norris' three.
But just as the Australian was looking to pull away from his title rival, the Brit's commanding win at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix has once again seen him reel in his teammate.
It now looks increasingly like a two-horse race with Red Bull's Verstappen trailing Norris and Piastri by 46 and 61 points respectively.
While McLaren boss Zak Brown has dismissed that suggestion, insisting that up to five drivers – the McLaren duo, Verstappen, Ferrari's Charles LeClerc and Mercedes' George Russell – are in the fight, Norris believes that just being in this position is far beyond his wildest expectations.
'I still find it weird to think I'm fighting for the world championship,' he says.
'I'm fighting for what I once dreamed of, what I once saw on TV, which is weird but also insanely cool at the same time.'
This campaign has so far been a season of firsts for Norris, with maiden wins at the season-opening Australian Prix and, most recently, the famous circuit at Monaco.
For the Brit, though, there's no denying that a grand prix victory on home turf at the historic Silverstone track is the one item he's desperate to tick off the bucket list having twice before finished on the podium – third last season and runner-up in 2023.
Can he go one step further this year?
'I said if I could swap any race wins to win one, it would be Silverstone,' Norris says. 'Your home race is the one you just feel most proud of. It's the one that always brings the biggest smile to you because it's your fans, your family, your friends are there.
'I watched the race (on TV) … and you think: 'Oh, what's it like?' Then you stand there and you have the team there and you get that sense of pride and you're there performing for your team.
'I don't know what it's going to be like (to win). Hopefully I'll find out sooner rather than later … because it's the one that I get most excited for.'
Success this weekend would not only accomplish a lifetime ambition, but also further elevate Norris' burgeoning fandom at home.
It's something he's not taking for granted.
'I don't think it's normal for a human to get so much support and so many cheers. … I don't think you get used to it. It's what I struggle to get used to the most,' he says.
'In some ways, you can get a little bit used to the winning. … That's the easy bit of the job for me and it always will be. I think Silverstone will always be the weekend I look forward to the most every single year.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
Aryna Sabalenka quells Emma Raducanu and Centre Court crowd to advance at Wimbledon
THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB, LONDON — Aryna Sabalenka put her French Open troubles behind her Friday night by overcoming a hostile crowd and an at-times inspired Emma Raducanu to advance to the Wimbledon fourth round with a 7-6(6), 6-4 win. No one questions the world No. 1's ability, but the way she struggled in the French Open final against Coco Gauff when things started to go against her invited the possibility of a raucous atmosphere getting to her. She also lost to Gauff from a set up in the 2023 U.S. Open final, when she appeared overwhelmed by the support for her opponent. Advertisement Would the same thing happen to her at Wimbledon? The ingredients were there, as a raucous Friday night crowd roared their player on in hope of inspiring an upset and Raducanu, the world No. 40, did not look overawed. To set up this match, Raducanu defeated Markéta Vondroušová, the 2023 Wimbledon champion who had beaten Sabalenka ahead of Wimbledon in Berlin, and she looked to impose herself on the world No. 1 as she had Vondroušová. She ultimately fell short, but this is a performance that will give her a huge amount of confidence. She has lost to a top player for the third straight major, but this was nothing like the hammerings she received from Iga Świątek at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. This was the first appointment-viewing match of the tournament. The world No. 1 against the great home hope. Both Grand Slam champions, and despite the vast difference in ranking and career achievements, two of the biggest names in the sport. Throw in an 8 p.m. start on a Friday night and the crackling excitement was there from the start. Not since 1977 had a British woman beaten the top seed at Wimbledon. The odds weren't in Raducanu's favour, but how much did odds matter to a player who won the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old qualifier? Raducanu needed to make a good start, to bring the crowd into the equation and see how Sabalenka would respond. She kept her end of the bargain with an early break, but was pegged back by a run of eight points in a row from her opponent that helped turn a 4-2 Raducanu lead into a 5-4 deficit. Then came one of the most dramatic games ever seen on this court. Sabalenka forced seven set points; Raducanu saved every single one, five of them with serves that forced Sabalenka into missed backhands. The noise that met Raducanu holding was so loud it sounded as though the reverberations would be felt beyond the 11 p.m. curfew. Advertisement It got even louder a few minutes later when Raducanu broke again and had the chance to serve out the set. Memories of Heather Watson coming within two points of beating the world No. 1 Serena Williams on this court at the same stage on the same day of the tournament 10 years ago came flooding back. It was deafeningly loud then, and it was again now. 'Wow,' Sabalenka said of the atmosphere in her on-court interview. 'My ears are still hurting.' A seemingly frazzled Sabalenka broke back to force the tiebreak, but Raducanu forced a set point of her own at 6-5. At this point Sabalenka showed why she's the world No. 1, producing a stunning backhand drop shot that completely outfoxed her opponent. People focus on Sabalenka's fearsome power but it's the variety and comfort in adversity that she has added that has turned her from streaky into a serial champion. A couple of points later, Sabalenka finally clinched the opener on what was her eighth set point. A vocal player normally, there was no sound from her this time, just a knowing look to her team. She acknowledged after that she needed to stay calm and not make the same mistakes she had made in Paris. It would have been easy for Raducanu to fade after losing a grueling 74-minute set, but she dug in and broke early in the second, racing to a 4-1 lead. Her aggressive returning always felt like her most plausible route to victory against Sabalenka's often vulnerable serve, and continuing to jump on it earned Raducanu a point for a double break 5-1 lead. Sabalenka saved it though, and then fended off two game points on the Raducanu serve to break back for 4-3. Tennis' scoring system can be a cruel mistress, but the best players seem to find a way to make it work for them. Sabalenka had the momentum and raced through the final three games. And it may only have been a third-round match against the world No. 40, but context is everything. This was a precious victory for Sabalenka, who had missed two of the past three Wimbledons. She is desperate to win here for the first time, just as she was at Roland Garros. She still has a long way to go to get there, with No. 24 seed Elise Mertens next, but whatever happens from here this was a significant victory for the world No. 1.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Wimbledon: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka holds off home favorite Emma Raducanu at Centre Court
LONDON — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staved off an upset bid by resurgent Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon by beating the home favorite 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the third-round at a raucous Centre Court on Friday night. Sabalenka, a two-time semifinalist at the All England Club, fought back in both sets against the the 2021 U.S. Open champion, who had been playing some of her best tennis since her title run at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier at age 18.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wimbledon: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka holds off home favorite Emma Raducanu at Centre Court
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning the first set against Emma Raducanu of Britain during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Emma Raducanu of Britain serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Emma Raducanu of Britain during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Emma Raducanu of Britain during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning the first set against Emma Raducanu of Britain during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Emma Raducanu of Britain serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Emma Raducanu of Britain during a third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) LONDON (AP) — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staved off an upset bid by resurgent Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon by beating the home favorite 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the third-round at a raucous Centre Court on Friday night. Sabalenka, a two-time semifinalist at the All England Club, fought back in both sets against the the 2021 U.S. Open champion, who had been playing some of her best tennis since her title run at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier at age 18. Advertisement In a 74-minute first set, Sabalenka converted her eighth set point, which came 30 minutes after the first. Raducanu went up 4-2, only to see Sabalenka reel off 11 of 12 points during one stretch while moving out front by a 5-4 score. Then arrived an epic game, lasting 13 minutes and containing 22 points, eight deuces, and seven set points for Sabalenka — all ending with Raducanu holding serve. Then, Raducanu had a set point while leading 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka saved it with a drop-shot winner and took the last three points of the set — ending it with a volley winner. The fans provided extra energy for the British player, cheering wildly when Raducanu fired winners and exhaling 'aww!' when she missed. Advertisement Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, said she pretended the cheers were for her. 'Guys wow — what an atmosphere. My ears are still hurting. It was super loud,' she said in an on-court interview. In the second set, Raducanu broke to 3-1 and led 4-1 at the 1-hour, 35-minute mark, but Sabalenka reeled off the last five games. Raducanu, ranked No. 40, had defeated 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round. 'She pushed me really hard to get this win. I'm happy to see her healthy and back on track,' Sabalenka said. 'I'm pretty sure that soon she's going to be back in the top 10.' Advertisement Sabalenka reached the final at each of the past three Grand Slam tournaments, winning the U.S. Open last September and finishing as the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June. ___ More AP tennis:
