Norris admits first win is a ‘weight off’ but says he never doubted victory would come

Lando Norris has underlined the importance of getting a maiden Formula 1 race win under his belt, admitting it relieves some pressure going forward, while also insisting that he never doubted it would one day arrive.

Norris achieved the breakthrough victory in Miami at the 110th attempt, having achieved 15 podiums before that – including eight second-place finishes – and been agonisingly close to triumphing at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.

READ MORE: McLaren boss Brown says maiden Norris win ‘long overdue’ as he praises ‘perfect’ Miami performance

Asked if the win feels like a weight off his shoulders, the McLaren driver said: “As much as I want to say no, it’s a yes. To get that first victory is always incredible.

“I’ve, of course, had my moments where we’ve been close, and I’ve never been able to convert it into the win, but I wasn’t worried. As much as a lot of people doubted that I was going to be able to put it together and win a race, I wasn’t worried.

“I’ve kind of been more confident than ever this year that I’ve got what it takes and the team have got what it takes, and I was patient with it. I’ve just been doing my job and executing my races, executing my qualis, doing what I can do best, and I knew my time was coming.”

Norris also heaped praise on McLaren for their hard work behind the scenes, with a host of upgrades helping him keep Red Bull rival Max Verstappen at bay after he moved into the lead during a mid-race Safety Car period.

READ MORE: Lando Norris’ dad sets his son new target after ‘amazing’ maiden victory

“We weren’t even into Q2 here last year, so now the fact we’re on top, we’ve won a race… the team have done an insane job to kind of go from where we were to where we are now,” he reflected.

“We’ve chipped away, especially the last couple of months. There’s been a lot of hard work, and whenever you bring an upgrade, it’s not easy to kind of just go out and execute and just show that it’s better.

“But little things come together and when you have all these little bits coming together, it turns into a perfect day like it did today. So, of course, I have to say a big thanks to all of McLaren, everyone back in the factory, everyone that’s here.

F1 NATION: What does Lando’s first win mean for him and McLaren? – It’s our Miami GP review

“It would have been a lot less likely that I won today without these upgrades and without the hard work that they’ve been putting into everything, so I would like to say it’s the start, and now I’m already hungry for more.”

Norris leaves the Miami International Autodrome holding fourth in the drivers’ standings, behind Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and Verstappen, while McLaren have strengthened their grip on P3 in the constructors’ battle.