‘Never become world champion’ – Lando Norris handed brutal title verdict by ex-F1 driver

Lando Norris’ World Championship credentials have been put under scrutiny by a former F1 driver after just two races.

Despite a thrilling victory in the Australian GP, Giedo van der Garde is not convinced Norris has what it takes.

In Australia, he managed to beat chief title rival Max Verstappen, igniting hopes that he could chase the World Championship this season.

Unfortunately, a mistake on the opening lap of the Sprint in Shanghai at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he veered off track and lost valuable positions, led to a disappointing tally of just a single point.

Meanwhile, in the feature race, Norris initially surged past Mercedes driver George Russell on the opening lap, slipping through as Russell sought to overtake Oscar Piastri for the lead.

However, following pit stops, he found himself briefly trailing Russell.

Russell, who was the first of the two to stop, executed an undercut that erased Norris’ on-track advantage, resulting in them rejoining the circuit side by side. 

Despite reclaiming the position from Russell and securing a strong second-place finish behind Piastri, van der Garde expressed concern.

“Russell went in just a little earlier,” Van der Garde told Viaplay. 

“It was a nice moment when Russell immediately passed Norris on the outside. I thought that was a super action. Norris was really asleep there, by the way. 

“You know it’s going to be a fight, so you have to make yourself wide and push him out. Nothing happened. 

“Norris came back well when his tyres were up to temperature, but that first action should never have happened. Russell passed Norris on the outside. Russell drove a good race. 

“That’s how you never become World Champion.” 

He added: “If you keep driving like this and let things like this happen, you won’t take that title. You have to use every millimetre in a fight. Norris is still a bit anxious.” 

According to the Dutchman, this wasn’t the first signal this season indicating that Norris might not yet be ready to contend for the World title. 

Although he triumphed at the Australian Grand Prix, he made a significant blunder at Turn 6 on the penultimate lap, running wide and allowing Verstappen to close in.

“We can also remember that Norris got all nervous in the last laps [in Australia] because he had Max behind him,” Van der Garde said. 

“Come on, man! You know you have a good car and that you are good. Just go for it and make sure you’re there.” 

Red Bull also picked up on this, with team principal Christian Horner saying:  “I think Lando looked like he tightened a little bit at the end of the race. 

“He made a mistake at Turn 6, went half off the track, and that gave Max a little bit of a run on a track that’s very difficult to overtake, and then, the next lap, he got another run.” 

Norris made his Formula One debut with McLaren in 2019 and has since consistently impressed with his speed since. 

Known for his strong qualifying performances and consistent points finishes, Norris has become a key figure for McLaren. 

He secured his first Formula One victory at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. 

With just eight points separating Norris and Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings, anticipation builds as the next race, the Japanese Grand Prix, approaches on April 6.