Formula One: ‘Nice guy’ Norris finishes first, finally!

Bengaluru: Last year, under the dazzling lights of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris made a promise to himself after ending McLaren’s 26-year wait for the Constructors’ title by taking the chequered flag for the fourth time in his career as well as the season. “You all deserve this. Thank you so much. It's been a special year. Next year is going to be my year too,” an ecstatic Norris exclaimed on the team radio. Having finished second behind the irrepressible Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ championship, it was clear the Briton was already plotting his personal ascension to the throne that was ruled with an iron fist by the Dutchman.

. Exactly a year later, and at the very same circuit, the easy-going yet steely Norris has fulfilled his promise, capturing his maiden Drivers’ title after an engrossing three-way battle with his team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Verstappen. Leading the standings heading into the season finale, all that the 26-year-old Norris had to do was finish on the podium to realise a childhood dream. But given how the season had panned out with fortunes fluctuating between the three drivers in one of the most fascinating battles in recent memory, Norris had his work cut out despite being better placed among the three contenders.

.Messi in Kolkata: Fans cheated, angry and on a rampage. Norris did the first part of the job beautifully, locking in the front row behind Verstappen during the qualifying on Saturday. Disaster struck on race day as Piastri overtook him in the first lap while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc exerted immense pressure by constantly clipping on his tail. The situation was extremely tense considering McLaren’s late season slip-ups that allowed four-time champion Verstappen to make a comeback from nowhere. If Norris lost his third place and Verstappen won, it would be another crowning moment for the Red Bull driver. But Norris produced a composed performance, first holding off Leclerc and then steadying himself to secure a third-place finish and edge Verstappen by two points (423-421) in the ultimate battle.

. Norris’ rise to the pinnacle is indeed a breath of fresh air that Formula One fans had been waiting for a long time. Long used to seeing ruthless drivers like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Verstappen rule the sport with their win-at-all-costs attitude, fans hoped to see a ‘nice guy’ finish first. They wanted someone relatable, like one in the stands. And the fresh-faced Norris is exactly that, one who always thrives to win it clean without venturing into the dark arts. In a sport replete with controversies where drivers and teams have gone to any extent to triumph, Norris seemingly believes in fair competition. He’s not overtly aggressive like Verstappen — who was dubbed ‘dangerous’ by some drivers — or forceful like some previous champions who didn’t care about winning it ugly. After all, sports generally remember champions, not how they’ve done it. In fact, even in his duel with team-mate Piastri, neither one of the them was favoured by McLaren at any stage. It was healthy competition.

. “I feel like I have just managed to win it the way I wanted to win it, which was not by being someone I'm not,” Norris said after his triumph. “That's one of the things that makes me most proud. Not trying to be as aggressive as Max (Verstappen) or as forceful as other champions might have been in the past, I'm happy. I just won it my way -- by being a fair driver, by trying to be an honest driver. At times, could I have been more aggressive and got off the brakes and had a few people over? I certainly could have done, and maybe I need to do that in the future, but is that me? No. Is that the way I want to go racing? Is that me? It's not.”

. Norris, in fact, has remained grounded right through his life despite being born with a silver spoon. Son of an extremely successful businessman — his father Adam was named in the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of 200 million pounds — Norris figured racing was going to be life when he was just seven years old. He started go-karting right away in 2007 and slowly started moving up the ladder; his own skill and will and his father’s deep pockets working well in tandem. After smashing several records in go-karting and other racing series, his biggest breakthrough came in 2019 when he joined McLaren in the final year of his teens, realising the first of his many goals. But life since then has been no bed of roses for Norris, who had to wait until 2024 for his first win in the circuit.

. Post that victory though, Norris has upped his game in spectacular fashion. He posted three more last season and triumphed seven times this year. His victory count was one less than Verstappen’s but what made him the champion was the incredible consistency he displayed all season, registering a whopping 18 podium finishes. It’s almost like Norris was hellbent on making up for the disappointments for the early part of his career where despite being talented, he necessarily didn’t have the livery to exhibit it.

. McLaren, home to several champion drivers like Senna, Prost, Niki Lauda, Mika Hakkinen, and Hamilton, continued from where they left off last season. They gave the best of cars to both Piastri and Norris, treating both as equals. The two drivers made the utmost use of it, the latter finding the extra fire when it mattered most. Thanks to his rising success, Norris has now become one of the most recognisable faces on the circuit and a massive star in the Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ that has become a rage amongst racing fans. Norris, who is dating Portuguese model and actress Margarida Corceiro, has emerged as a star off the track too, gracing columns in Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ — generally reserved for the high profile.

. Norris is quick remember all who have this fame and adulation possible. “I wouldn’t be here without my parents, the sacrifice they’ve made, my brother, my sisters, the amount of times they text me, I don’t get back to them! Everything leads into what we all achieved today. This is not my World Championship. This is ours,” said a sobbing Norris, his family in the pit garage also overwhelmed with emotion.

. Norris, in delivering the world title at McLaren, has joined a list of extraordinary gentlemen for “The Papaya”. His journey has just started, and he’ll be hoping to craft a legacy of his own in seasons to come.

Formula One: ‘Nice guy’ Norris finishes first, finally!

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