Following a “perfect” weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix where he secured pole position and converted it into victory, McLaren`s Lando Norris stated that his critics could “write what they want”.
Norris`s win was his first since the season-opening race in Australia. He held off challenges from Charles Leclerc and his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri. Piastri is now just three points ahead of Norris in the championship standings as they look towards the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
The British driver expressed particular pride in his qualifying performance, especially after facing scrutiny and openly admitting to struggling with his single-lap pace and execution under pressure recently.
“People can write what they want. It`s not up to me. People have their own opinions, they can do all of those things,” Norris commented. He dismissed most criticism, saying, “none of them are true, 99 per cent of the time. So, it`s all nonsense. I don`t mind what people write as long as I know the truth and my team know the truth, and that`s fine.”
He revealed the effort behind his return to form: “I`ve been working hard over the last few months to get back to having that momentum that I had in Australia, that confidence.”
Last year, Norris shared the lead for most pole positions and had a significant edge over Piastri in qualifying, beating him 20-4. The 24-year-old highlighted that “no one knows the amount of work” dedicated to regaining this performance level this season, outside of his team.
“What I felt this weekend was a small step forward, but it`s not *it*. It`s not like I`ve nailed it now and everything`s back,” he added. “There are still things that I need to work on, there are still things that – as a team – them giving me the equipment… not just making a quicker car, because the car`s quick enough – but giving me the things I need from the car in order to excel and maximise results, and the differences from last year to this year.”
“So, still things from both sides, but I`m very proud of qualifying. I`m happier with qualifying`s result than I am of Sunday`s. I was more emotional after qualifying than I was on Sunday. That`s how much Saturday meant to me, to kind of get my groove back in qualifying, because it`s something I`ve just had my whole life.”
“It`s just always been good, until this year. And I`ve had to work hard to try and get it back, for no other reason apart from a couple of things that I`ve clearly struggled with and also just having tough competition,” he acknowledged. “Having Oscar, Charles, Max, I`m against the best guys in the world. And if you`re not performing at the highest level, you`re not going to compete against them.”
Norris Proud of Monaco Win Significance
Winning in Monaco holds unique prestige for any F1 driver due to its rich history and the challenging nature of navigating the tight street circuit where even minor errors are severely punished.
Norris is now one of just five drivers currently competing in F1 to have won the Monaco Grand Prix. The others are:
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Fernando Alonso
- Charles Leclerc
Reflecting on the significance of the victory, Norris shared, “I think the best bit is that my kids one day will be able to tell everyone that I won in Monaco. That`s probably the thing I`m most proud about.”
“I think it would be up there for sure, especially because of the weekend that it`s been – with pole and with the race. It wasn`t just a pole or just the race. It was both together, and I think that`s perfect. Regardless, I think that`s something to be very proud about for the rest of my life.”
He also mused on his record-breaking qualifying lap time: “I think it`s a cooler thing to say, also from my lap time in qualifying – the 1:09 – that`s very unlikely to be beaten for a very long time unless the track changes, or whatever. The cars next year are nowhere near going to be as quick as this year. Hopefully, that lap time lasts for a very, very long time.”
“So, it`s cool. It`s definitely just the saying more than anything, but also the meaning, the history, the people that have won here in the past. They don`t always go on to be champions, but most of them have. And just to know in 30 years` time, I can say, `I mastered Monaco that one year` – or hopefully a few more – but that one year is something I look forward to saying.”
