Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan says he wants to see more fight from Lando Norris, as he has the talent to be “a World Champion”.
Norris now holds the F1 record for the most podiums without a race win, having scored 14 podiums since entering the sport five years ago.
David Coulthard: Lando Norris is a winner in my eyes
Norris has come very close to ticking off that first win on occasion, most notably at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix – the British driver was leading and looked set to win until heavy rain started to fall, with the McLaren driver choosing to stay out on slick tyres in what proved to be the incorrect call.
Norris also finished second to then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo in McLaren’s 1-2 finish at that year’s Italian Grand Prix, while he also had to watch on as rookie teammate Oscar Piastri claimed victory in last year’s sprint race in Qatar
Speaking about Norris on the Formula For Success podcast, former F1 racer turned broadcaster David Coulthard said that, in terms of his driving, Norris is already a race winner even if it hasn’t officially happened.
“Norris has 14 podiums with no wins, and that’s a record that he would like to not have,” Coulthard said.
“He’s only not won because he’s not actually been in the right place at the right time.
“Daniel Ricciardo got that victory for McLaren in Monza – Lando was probably quicker on that day, but held station dutifully.
“He didn’t win the sprint race in Qatar which went to Oscar, he could have had a win. So, in my eyes, he is a winner, it’s just the stats don’t show that.
Eddie Jordan: I want to see more fight from Lando Norris
Always willing to disagree with his friend, former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan swiftly scoffed at Coulthard’s suggestion and said Norris is ticking all the right boxes, but has to step up in certain areas.
“Winning a sprint race is not winning a Grand Prix,” he said.
“They are not even close in my book. One is playful carry on, getting a few points. The other is a hardcore Grand Prix, where you have to prepare and do things differently.
“[Lando] is revered, isn’t he? He’s loved, he’s a good-looking boy.
“His parents are gorgeous people. He is everything that every father would like to have in their son. He is a really good example. [He’s] well-behaved, well-educated, and knows his place.
“I just want to see more fight there. I want to see more viciousness. Could he have won any of those 14 Grands Prix? I think he might have, he might have won one or two of them.
“But I just want to see more action, you know, real fight, real determination.”
Jordan referred to 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell, saying that the Birmingham driver’s mentality was what allowed him to make the step up to being a Champion – even if his talent was eclipsed by others on the grid with him.
“What was the standout feature of Nigel Mansell? It was belief,” Jordan said.
“He believed he could beat anybody, anybody.
“The fact is, his talent was possibly, in certain areas, nowhere near as good as some of the guys that he was beating because, mentally, in his mind, no one could pass. And that was it.
“So I just want to see more of that wild belief, commitment, and passion in Lando. And you could be surprised. We could be looking at another British World Champion, because he’s that good
But he has to take care, because Oscar is no slouch, that’s for certain. I’m super impressed how he’s started his second season, because in the second season in Formula 1, it is really a huge transition.
“You’ve got rid of the, if you like, ‘going to the party’, and now you’re in the hardcore game, and you have to perform. I think Oscar is doing that, with Ann and Mark Webber, he will have good people there guiding him through that.
