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In a recent discussion on the Formula For Success podcast, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan suggested that Lando Norris is in danger of being remembered as "one of the fastest drivers possibly not to have won a World Championship." Jordan pointed to the fact that Norris had a competitive advantage this year, particularly in races where title rival Max Verstappen struggled, but was unable to capitalize on these opportunities to secure a win.
"Too Nice" on track: Eddie Jordan's take on Norris' struggles
Jordan, a long-time figure in the F1 world, believes that Norris' "nice" demeanour may be working against him in his pursuit of a championship. According to Jordan, Verstappen has been able to limit the damage to his World Championship lead, even while McLaren seemed to hold a significant competitive advantage.
"Lando Norris has been brought up by an amazing, lovely, beautiful, caring family. And is there an argument to say that he’s too nice? Yes, possibly," Jordan said during the podcast. "Lando should have been out of sight in several races this year, where Max didn’t have the car that Norris did. But he wasn’t able to do that."
Norris still maturing, says Coulthard
David Coulthard, co-host of the podcast and a former F1 driver for McLaren and Red Bull, quickly clarified that he didn’t believe Norris would ever win a World Championship. However, Coulthard echoed Jordan's thoughts, stating that Norris is still in the process of maturing into a "complete grand prix driver."
"I think he’s still maturing into that person," Coulthard said of Norris. "He’s got all the speed, we love how open he is – everything is there. But at a certain point, he’s got to go: 'Max, you think I’m going to leave the door open? Well, actually, the door’s closed – and if we crash, we crash.'"
Coulthard emphasized that to go toe-to-toe with a driver like Verstappen, Norris must develop a more aggressive racing mindset, which involves knowing when to make tough, no-compromise moves on the track.
McLaren’s rebuilding process and Norris' development
Coulthard also highlighted the challenges McLaren faced at the beginning of this season. The team, which entered 2023 as part of a rebuilding phase, was caught off guard by its strong early-season performance. While McLaren’s confidence is growing, Coulthard believes Norris has yet to fully adjust to this heightened level of competition.
“McLaren didn’t expect to be challenging for championships this year, so it’s taken them some time to really believe they can win,” Coulthard explained. "They’re getting there, but I think Lando is on that same journey. He’s almost there, but at a certain point, he needs to embrace the mentality of a champion.”
The pressure to close the gap
Despite the McLaren team’s progress and Norris’ evident talent, the young driver has yet to break through and consistently challenge for wins in a way that would put him in title contention. With Verstappen’s dominance and the ongoing development of McLaren’s car, Norris’ ability to handle pressure and make critical decisions in the heat of the moment will be crucial as he strives to avoid the fate of being labelled the fastest driver without a title.
As the season continues, the racing world will be watching closely to see if Norris can elevate his racing mentality and make the next step toward becoming a true title contender.
