“I think that’s the most enjoyable part for people watching, to say ‘who’s going to win this weekend?’ rather than “he will win again”. »
Many grew tired last season of the domination of Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Until a little over a month ago, we still believed that no other team would be able to seriously threaten the three-time defending champion this year.
Then Lando Norris won in Miami. And Charles Leclerc in Monaco. They were added to Carlos Sainz Jr., who had already triumphed at the Australian Grand Prix at the start of the campaign.
Suddenly, for the first time since 2021, three consecutive Grands Prix have been won by three different drivers. It would be naive to say that Verstappen is in danger of the title, but for the first time in two years, the outcome of the races seems a little less predictable. And the spectacle is more interesting. That’s the opinion of Lando Norris, who expressed his happiness at this on-track competition on Thursday afternoon in the paddocks of the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
“For me, for Oscar [Piastri, his teammate], for all the drivers on the grid, or at least the guys who drive the best six cars, we arrive at the circuit saying: maybe this is our week -end. […] It makes everyone push even more, take a little more risk, and get a little more out of themselves. »
“When you know you can win a trophy, it always means a little bit more, right? It’s exciting for me. It’s exciting for the team. And it’s even more exciting for everyone watching. »
A few weeks have passed since Norris’ first career victory. Let’s remember that he took advantage of a rare error from Max Verstappen and a well-timed safety car to finish 7 seconds ahead of “Mad Max” in Miami.
Since then, he has managed a second place in Italy and a fourth place in Monaco. So here he is in third place among drivers with 113 points, some 25 points behind Charles Leclerc and 56 behind Verstappen.
Of course, he also drives a car now capable of competing with the best. Since the improvements made to the car in Austria last year, in July, things have continued to go well for McLaren.
“The moment you try to change things too much, that’s when you start to feel the pressure or the nerves,” the 24-year-old Brit explained. “I do the same thing as before: I go to the track, I look at the data, I try to drive as fast as before. I’m just fighting for a higher position. Naturally, it comes with a bit more pressure when you’re in qualifying and trying to get a lead position and all that, but it doesn’t change much at the same time. »
“It’s really important that I’m comfortable in the car, confident, and not thinking too much. It’s just a better feeling to be fighting for a top 3 or a win. There is more excitement and greater motivation. »
In Montreal this weekend, the drivers could have to deal with changing conditions, which does not worry the McLaren driver in the least. If he specifies that the papaya car does not have “the best DRS” and that it could therefore lose “a little speed on a lap compared to Ferrari and Red Bull”, he refuses to comment on the favorite team to win honors.
“With the curbs, which are a big part of the circuit here, it will be tight. It’s impossible for me to say whether it will be us, Ferrari or Red Bull at the front. »
And it’s perfect like that. As he himself says, “that’s what makes it exciting.”