Lando Norris Responds To F1 Title Race "Luck" Comments

With Formula 1 returning from its summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, most of the focus is on the title fight between McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Just nine points separate the teammates after 14 races with Norris closing the gap down with three victories in four before the three-week shutdown.

Despite that, former driver and now-TV pundit Jolyon Palmer claimed that Norris remained in championship contention through luck and that the gap could easily be up to 61 points.

Norris answers back

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Palmer's comments came after self-confessed data trawling across the summer break to try and discover who is most likely to win the intra-team battle.

His evidence included Piastri's Australian Grand Prix off-track excursion, where he fell from second to ninth to drop 16 points, his penalty at the British Grand Prix that saw Norris get ahead for the win and then a strategic call forced by the Briton's own poor first lap that ultimately became the silver bullet for victory.

Speaking in the FIA's pre-Dutch Grand Prix press conference, Norris responded to the claims: "I’ve certainly had a little bit of luck. I’ve also been unlucky. But that’s life. I can’t choose those things."

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Norris also refers to the faith he put in the team based in Woking, England, having committed to a long-term contract when other options became available at the start of the decade.

McLaren's return to the top of the standings only came last season and before then, its only victory since 2012 came for Daniel Ricciardo in 2021.

When the long-term deal was announced, Norris' decision was questioned given the potential he has always shown and the belief that he would one-day be a championship-winning talent and the concern that it would be wasted in the midfield.

Norris: "I've made good decisions"

Lando Norris, McLaren, arriving at the team motorhome at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring, Budapest. | McLaren Racing

" I’m lucky that I’ve been with McLaren for the last seven years," he explained.

"I could not have been with them for five of those, so I’ve also made good decisions. I like to believe, I back myself, I’ve made good decisions along the way and especially this year. I’ve improved as a driver this year.

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"I’ve had a car that I found a lot trickier to drive – just as much as everyone complains when they have a car that doesn’t suit them or drive as well as what they like – and I made some good steps forward to come back and have some good races.

"I would not have won in Budapest if I didn’t improve on those things myself, and that was not luck. That was hard work, a lot of dedication with my engineers and my team, both at the track and away from it."

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