Norris says he rejected offers to win silverware to stay with McLaren F1

Lando Norris will take nice delight if he leads McLaren to its first Components 1 constructors’ title in 26 years after revealing he has beforehand turned down alternatives to depart the crew.

McLaren leads second-placed Ferrari by 21 factors heading into Sunday’s Abu Dhabi season finale, the place Norris took pole place and can begin alongside team-mate Oscar Piastri on the entrance row.

The Woking squad’s turnaround has been one of many tales in 2024 having completed no greater than fourth within the earlier three years.

Norris, who took his maiden race victory in Might’s Miami Grand Prix, pushed Max Verstappen nearer than anyone although the Purple Bull driver nonetheless claimed a fourth world championship.

However McLaren is now the heavy favorite to land the constructors’ crown and for Norris, it will justify sticking with the squad since his F1 debut in 2019.

“Oscar’s most likely lucky to not undergo these first few years that we have had,” he stated. “I imply, there’s some very enjoyable years. Yeah, that is true. We did not begin off nice final 12 months, however I had some nice occasions.

“We made progress, stepped again, made progress, stepped again. Nothing ever clicked, actually, and by no means continued to develop.

“It was exhausting simply to interrupt that barrier of getting near Ferrari, Mercedes, and Purple Bull as a result of for such an extended time frame, they have been the fellows who’ve dominated Components 1.

“Now, not solely have we damaged that barrier during the last 12 months and a half, we have risen to the highest of it to develop into the perfect crew and main and hopefully to go on to win.

“So it positively has been an extended rise to get to the place we’re, which has been enjoyable and I’ve actually liked it. I believe the factor I will be proudest and most joyful about is the actual fact I am nonetheless right here.

“The very fact I am nonetheless in papaya as a result of I believed within the crew for a few years. I had alternatives to not be in papaya and to possibly go on and win races at an earlier stage in my profession and people type of issues.

“I had these alternatives, however I believed and I needed to easily do it with McLaren. I needed to do it with the fellows who gave me my alternative in Components 1.

Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, arrives in Parc Ferme

Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs

“And as a lot as we did not assume it was going to be attainable this 12 months, we’re hoping for subsequent 12 months.

“Subsequent 12 months was our type of in-line goal, on-paper goal. The very fact we’re doing it this 12 months is a good larger achievement.”

Whereas McLaren’s rise again to the highest of F1 has garnered loads of consideration and earned reward for each drivers and the crew construction in place, Norris feels there may be nonetheless not a full comprehension of the exhausting work required to perform the feat.

“I do not assume, merely from the skin, individuals would give McLaren and my crew sufficient credit score for what they’ve executed, what they’ve circled, as a result of it isn’t a simple sport,” he added.

“It might look easy at occasions from the skin and issues like that. And even I believe typically issues are extra easy than what they give the impression of being. We will solely simply give a hats off to the entire crew, as a result of quite a lot of issues have modified.

“Individuals have come and gone, and Andrea (Stella, crew principal) has executed an unbelievable job. So to be a part of this entire story, to be a part of it not lengthy after Zak (Brown, CEO) joined McLaren [in 2016] and began altering issues and making McLaren right into a barely extra joyful place than it was prior.

“I have been alongside the journey with Zak, and we have gone by quite a lot of issues collectively, highs and lows and emotional occasions.

“Job not executed, and Andrea will likely be joyful that I say it, however I am proud to be on this journey, to have been on it with McLaren for therefore a few years, and I will be very joyful when hopefully it is all completed off.”