When did Lando Norris Join F1?

Lando Norris is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for the McLaren F1 team. Norris made his Formula One debut alongside Carlos Sainz Jr. at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix and quickly became a bright talent in the sport, winning his first podium at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix and his first pole position at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. Norris's breakthrough win came in 2024 when he scored his first win in his career during the Miami Grand Prix, and he then followed with more wins in the Netherlands and Singapore. Norris has secured six wins, 32 podiums, and 11 pole positions as of the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix.

When did Lando Norris join the F1?

Lando Norris began his Formula 1 journey in February 2017 when McLaren took him on as their junior driver. At the time, CEO of McLaren Zak Brown hailed Norris as a "fabulous prospect," and it said much about the team's estimation of him. Late in the season, Norris completed his planned half-season test with McLaren, impressing as much as anything by laying down the second-best lap of the second day at the Hungaroring. By the end of 2017, Norris graduated to become the official test and reserve driver for the 2018 season. He had his first official practice during the Belgian Grand Prix, where he completed 26 laps. He ended up driving in six practice sessions throughout the year, an experience that proved invaluable for him.

In 2019, Norris was contracted to drive for the McLaren F1 team and qualified eighth on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix and finished in twelfth place. He scored his first points in Formula One at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the same year, finishing sixth. There were multiple retirements in his rookie season, the Chinese Grand Prix being the first retirement of his career, followed by retirements at the Spanish Grand Prix and at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Norris improved significantly in his sophomore season in 2020. He qualified fourth in the season opener in the Austrian Grand Prix but started third due to Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty. He took the chance and became the third-youngest driver to secure a podium in the history of F1, finishing third. Throughout the season, Norris consistently showed his quality, winning quite a few top scores, and becoming the first graduate from their junior scheme to take a podium as he finished third in Britain's event. His consistency paid off at the end of the season as he finished ninth in the drivers' championship with 97 points. The score for McLaren helped it claim third place in the constructors' championship.

In 2021, Norris showcased his quality again as he teamed up with Daniel Ricciardo, and finally achieved his first pole position during the Russian Grand Prix and showed much pace in variable weather. This season also saw him finish on the podium multiple times. A second place in the Italian GP was more memorable when McLaren registered its first one-two finish since 2010. He completed the season with the finish in the drivers' championship at the sixth position with a career-high total of 160 points, confirming his good development and competitiveness in the sport.

Norris agreed to a contract extension with McLaren in February 2022, so he should stay there at least until the end of the 2025 season. Drivers, Ricciardo and Norris, both got off to slow starts for the season, neither able to crack into a points position until late in the races. Still, Norris played some comeback magic on the last day of stage two, crossing the checkered flag in third place in the Emilia Romagna GP. It proved to be the only podium finish of the season for McLaren. A not-so-great year still saw the driver put up an impressive seventh in the championship with 122 points, well ahead of teammate Ricciardo.

Norris had another season with McLaren in 2023 and was thus paired up with rookie Oscar Piastri at the start of the year. He bounced back well after reliability problems at an early stage in the season, scoring successive sixth positions followed by a run of strong runs. With upgrades galore on the car, Norris again produced great performances, the most notable being securing successive podiums at the British and Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 2024 season saw Lando Norris record four race wins at the Miami Grand Prix, the Dutch Grand Prix, the Singapore Grand Prix, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He finished second in the Drivers' standings with 374 points, just behind Max Verstappen. So far in the 2025 season of Formula One, Norris has won two races out of eight and has secured seven podiums with 158 points as of May 2025.