Lando Norris Makes History (2024)

With the baby face of someone who looks even younger than his actual 14 years – Lando was born in November 1999 - Norris stood atop the KF World Championship podium as the winner at the end of a weekend where Danish driver Nielsen was the absolute protagonist and announced winner at least until the Prefinal. In his first year in KF, Norris hadn't shown great things that year, unlike the previous one in KFJ where he had been the revelation, winning the FIA European Championship in his debut. In his karting career, Lando had won a lot in his country competing in the Rotax categories and had appeared on the international scene at a very young age, making himself noticed with some exploits before the European Championship already at the Margutti and in some tests of the WSK. Norris is, to summarize, one of the first drivers (post-Verstappen era) of the new “FIA feeder series way to F1” who, although not having competed in OK as it didn't yet exist as a category, chronologically followed his path to F1 following the process that we know well today – starting with the step up to single-seaters at the age of 15.

Once in the car in 2015 and after an apprenticeship year between F4 and Ginetta, the Englishman won two Formula Renault 2.0 Championships (there wasn't FRECA F4, but we're close) in the same year in 2016, a season where his speed skills began to emerge in cars as well. The following year, his dominance in the F3 championship further confirmed his status as a rising star in motorsport, just as his debut victory in F2 in 2018 put him even more in the spotlight, despite ultimately finishing second in the championship (won by George Russell that year).

Norris debuted in Formula 1 in 2019 with McLaren, a team he joined in 2017 following his win in an award given to UK drivers and sponsored by McLaren itself. In that season, he was teammates with Carlos Sainz and thanks to the car's good competitiveness, he managed to perform well, scoring points as early as his second GP in Bahrain and finishing his debut season in 11th place overall. Lando has never also hidden his great passion for Sim Racing and, along with Max Verstappen, is perhaps one of the most active on gaming platforms, and his enthusiasm for this discipline highlights his dedication to the sport both on and off the track. Like many others, he has launched a brand of karting chassis, branding them with his logo on frames from a well-known manufacturer, the same ones with which the team that launched him onto the international scene, RFM, competes this season in the international races.

Overall, Lando Norris's journey illustrates the combination of natural talent, hard work, and passion that defines drivers capable of winning an F1 World Championship. It remains to be seen how far he will go now that he has formally and rightfully entered the realm of winners.