Analyzing why McLaren signed Lando Norris

We take a look at why McLaren have opted for their young driver to run in 2019.

The Daily Apex
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

McLaren has been in a tight position during the last few Formula 1 seasons. It was made even tougher when a longtime driver, Fernando Alonso, announced his retirement from Formula 1.

Subsequently, the team signed Renault driver, Carlos Sainz Jr. While this was a good match for the driver, McLaren was still struggling with their second driver, Stoffel Vandoorne.

Lando testing a McLaren during the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix — (Image: McLaren)

In the last week, it was announced that McLaren had signed their young driver by the name of Lando Norris for the 2019 season. Lando has been competing in Formula 2 for the present season and is currently second in the championship.

The 18-year-old may seem too young, but his on-track action makes you rethink how young he is. He has been battling Mercedes young driver, George Russell throughout this year and has proven he has the skills to deserve an F1 seat.

Lando is 22 points behind George with only four races to go in the Formula 2 season. If he can overtake the championship lead, that positivity will be great to carry over into Formula 1.

You may be wondering, why not just stay with Stoffel? He is a driver with a solid couple years in an F1 car, along with being mentored by Fernando Alonso. However, that’s not enough for teams, they expect results even in a car that is difficult to drive.

Because this year is a ‘rebuild’ of sorts for McLaren, it makes sense to take some more risk with a young driver. Lando had taken part in a couple practice sessions during Formula 1 Grand Prix’ this year, which can give McLaren a better idea of what to expect. Autosport has also reported that McLaren was worried about Toro Rosso stealing Lando to fill their vacant seat.

A combination of using a high-risk strategy and the pressure being put on from other teams was enough for McLaren to sign Lando. It will be interesting to see what he can do, but like always there will be an adjusting period.

By: Andrew Miles

The Daily Apex

Providing you daily motorsport updates with a splash of interesting opinions

The Daily Apex

Written by

Providing you daily motorsport updates with a splash of interesting opinions

The Daily Apex

Providing you daily motorsport updates with a splash of interesting opinions

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