“If Max retires or something”: Lando Norris predicts when his maiden F1 win will come after successive P2 finishes in Silverstone and Hungary

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary
Lando Norris finishes on the podium consecutively for the first time (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Lando Norris clinched his second consecutive P2 finish of 2023 at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday - marking the first time the Briton has achieved this feat in his Formula 1 career.

When asked by Nico Rosberg about when fans could expect him to win a race, Norris joked that it would only be possible if Max Verstappen retires during a race, otherwise, his domination takes over the entire grid.

"If Max retires or something, that may be?" Norris said. "But the minute the guy’s that quick here unless they make mistakes or something happens."

Lando Norris started the Hungarian Grand Prix from P3, and as Lewis Hamilton lost his lead from pole position - with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri taking over P2 - success looked assured for McLaren. After the first tire stint, Norris came out ahead of his teammate and kept defending P2 for the rest of the race.

Sergio Perez, who started the race in P9, had a good hold over the car and the circuit, as he fought his way to P3 and had started to challenge Norris by the end of the race.

However, the Briton defended his position excellently to clinch yet another podium finish. This is the third time he has achieved P2, after Monza in 2021 and last weekend at Silverstone.


Lando Norris reveals McLaren's aim for the moment

The McLaren was one of the slowest cars on the grid when the season started, and this reputation had been carried on for a while by the team. The crew had been working hard to make their cars more competitive and it finally happened during the Austrian GP, where the MCL60 was equipped with upgrades.

These worked perfectly for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the British GP at Silverstone, and now, after the Hungarian GP, it seems to have held on to the performance.

Following the Hungarian GP, Norris said that this position for the team is good enough given where they had started the season.

"At the minute, I think we're very happy with the progress," Norris said. "We've made to go from where we were what? Four, five races ago, certainly to get out of Q1."
"Sometimes the fighting for balls and fighting for podiums will take it for now, and our time come later on in the year," he added.

While the team seems to be happy with both drivers' performances, Lando Norris' rookie teammate Oscar Piastri is still lacking a podium. Although his drive was quite interesting throughout the race, it was a little hard to keep Sergio Perez's RB19 behind him. He finished P5 in the race, and P4 has been his best finish so far (Silverstone).

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