After coming agonizingly close to winning his maiden F1 race at the 2021 Russian GP, Lando Norris finally secured his first Grand Prix victory at the 110th time of asking in Miami. He confidently secured the win with a stellar drive. And if there was ever any doubt regarding his confidence, he cleared the same via his post-race radio conversation with his engineer, Will Joseph.
After the initial burst of joy, Norris was extremely cool-headed after the race. He did not sound like he’d just won his first Grand Prix when he was conversing with Joseph.
As revealed on X by the user (@jctrxx), when Joseph asked, “You crying yet,” the 24-year-old surprisingly replied, “Ahh, I’m not that emotional mate. I never cry. I knew it yeah. I knew it when I came in this morning. I said today is a day full of opportunities. I nailed it, you nailed it. Thank you so much.”
The surprisingly calm interaction is the polar opposite of the general reactions of a first-time race winner. The drivers usually shed a few tears on such a momentous occasion, but Lando Norris always knew that it was only a matter of time before he eventually won a race.
However, his calm and confident reaction on this occasion do seem to contradict with how he has reacted previously when things have not gone his way. Previously, when Norris has made mistakes and missed out on opportunities when he could have performed better, he has often been hard on himself and also shed tears.
Lando Norris expresses his delight in his post-race interview
After giving a calm reaction on the team radio, Lando Norris finally expressed his sheer delight in winning his maiden F1 Grand Prix in his post-race interview. In his interview with Sky Sports F1 after the race, he said, “About time. F***, which was followed by an instant apology.
After apologizing, he continued, “What a race! It’s been a long time coming. Finally, I’ve managed to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team. I finally delivered for them. Long day, tough race. Finally on top, so I’m over the moon.”
After getting the monkey off his back finally, Norris will now hope that he can register many more wins in the times to come. Considering how McLaren have been able to improve the pace of the car, it seems that the Briton could also have more opportunities to add to his tally in 2024 itself.
