BEYOND THE GRID: Lando Norris on playing the long game with McLaren, the disappointment of Russia 2021, and more

Lando Norris is the star guest on our Beyond the Grid podcast this week with Tom Clarkson, in which the McLaren driver discusses everything from his time in Formula 1 so far, his moments of frustration and self doubt, and his hopes for the future.

The podcast comes as Norris gets set to go racing at the Belgian Grand Prix for the fourth time in his Formula 1 career, and he reveals exactly why Spa is such a special race for him and his family – and why he counts it as a home race, just as much as he does Silverstone.

McLaren currently sit fifth in the constructors’ championship and Norris is seventh in the drivers’ standings, and while he reveals he had higher expectations heading into the season, he set his sights on getting closer to Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes in the future. The Briton also puts to rest the narrative that McLaren build their race cars around him, as he reveals just how hard the MCL36 is to drive.

F1 NATION: Damon Hill on how to win at Spa, plus the gang dissect the latest moves in the driver market

Before the start of the 2022 season, Norris signed a long-term contract extension with McLaren and he discloses that he put pen to paper on a new contract knowing that the team will most likely not win until 2024, which he says will be the first year that his team will have no excuses not to be successful.

Having proven to be one of the rising stars in the sport, Norris has already achieved six podium finishes in his career, but he also reflects on the missed opportunities to get his first race victory at Monza and most notably in Russia in 2021, as he admits he often wonders whether those were his only chances at a race win.

WATCH: Webber vs Alonso, and Schumacher’s fury – 5 dramatic moments from Spa's F1 history

Also, on the agenda on this week’s episode Norris opens up about his on and off-track relationship with team mate Daniel Ricciardo and how it differs from his bond with his former team mate Carlos Sainz.

Listen to the McLaren driver in the audio player above, or click here to listen via your preferred podcast provider.