F1 News: Lando Norris Celebrates Birthday In The Most Iconic Way
McLaren driver Lando Norris celebrates his 24th birthday today and his team set up the best birthday present for him by offering him a seat in the McLaren MP4/2 that belonged to Formula 1 legend Alain Prost in 1984.
On Sunday, Norris took to the wheel of Prost's MP4/2 at the Sonoma Raceway in California as part of the Velocity Invitational event. Not only did the team celebrate Norris's birthday but, it also celebrated its 60th anniversary.
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Those present at the celebration included Norris, McLaren CEO Zak Brown, and IndyCar drivers Pato O'Ward, Tony Kanaan, and Alexander Rossi.
What better present could Norris have received than driving an F1 legend's car around a racetrack? Prost was a four-time Formula 1 champion who held the record for the most number of Grand Prix victories until Michael Schumacher overtook the magic number of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.
His position in Formula One history is assured as one of the sport's greatest drivers, although a career marked by conflict and controversy somewhat diminished his substantial accomplishments. When McLaren's supremacy extended through 1989, the intense Prost- Ayrton Senna battle for dominance led to a collision.
What began as mutual admiration spiralled into outright animosity, with the Frenchman accusing his Brazilian teammate of reckless driving and favoritism from both McLaren and Honda. The season concluded in a contentious incident at Suzuka's chicane, where Prost deliberately blocked Senna, securing his third driving title.
Norris drove the same car that finished second in the Formula 1 World Championship by just half a point in 1984. Speaking of second, the 24-year-old recently revealed that he'd had far too many second-place finishes this season and that, he was looking for a race win in the near future. In a recent interview, he said:
“We’ve been very close the last few weekends. I’ve had a lot of, too many, but a lot of second places this year. There’s just one guy and one team in the way, but we’re getting there.”
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