By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lando Norris will tie David Coulthard as the most-tenured driver in McLaren history when the lights go out for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where the current Formula 1 points leader will make his 150th career start.
It’s taken the 26-year-old British driver seven seasons to catch Coulthard, an accomplishment he’s grateful to have reached. He’ll break the mark a week from Sunday when he starts the Qatar Grand Prix.
“It’s crazy, it’s a big number, matching DC for the number of races with McLaren. Qatar will be 151 so — I don’t know what the word would be — the most-racingest driver for McLaren?” Norris said Wednesday night at the wet and cold circuit that runs down the famed Las Vegas Strip.
“That’s something I am pretty proud of, it is quite an achievement, 150 in F1, this is my dream,” he continued. “It’s been my dream since I was a kid. To get that far is pretty incredible and time certainly flies.”
Norris is incredible position as he hits the milestone for McLaren — he holds a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri in the world championship standings with three races remaining. Four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen sits 49 points back.
Norris and Piastri have already helped McLaren clinch a second consecutive constructors championship and the two have swapped the driver standings lead all season.
McLaren refuses to designate either of its drivers as the favorite and is giving Norris and Piastri an equal chance to win the title without giving preferential treatment to one over the other.
But since reclaiming the points lead from Piastri two races ago in Mexico City, there’s been speculation that tension has developed between the teammates. Norris said that isn’t the case, though, when asked specifically why he and Piastri haven’t partnered together much lately for the humorous social media vidoes McLaren has been making the last several years.
“I think the reason you see less videos is because we both asked to do less videos. We’re racing drivers, we want to come and drive and not make videos for social media,” Norris said.
He then explained it’s his nature to be friendly with teammates even if that’s not the norm in the cutthroat world of F1.
“It’s still the same and I’m very happy, I think we are both happy that that’s how it is,” Norris said. “It’s because we both have a lot of respect for one another and we both understand the position that we’re in. I feel like I’ve always gone on well with my teammates since go-karting — I’ve always wanted to because it just makes my life more fun, more enjoyable.
“We very, very much understand that we work for McLaren. We want the best for the team. We work very hard, and you try and maximize your own performance more than anything. But then when we step out the car we can still have a joke. We still have laughs in our debriefs, and we still enjoy everything away from the track.”
Both have won seven times this season, but Piastri has slipped since winning the Dutch Grand Prix on the final day in August. In the six races since that victory, the Australian has only one podium finish — at the very next race at Monza — and arrived in Las Vegas with three consecutive fifth-place finishes.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the car in Vegas. I’m concentrating on performance, building a strong weekend and maximizing every opportunity,” Piastri said.
His bland pre-race comments are on brand for Piastri, Norris said.
“We’re still very different people. He’s just very calm, down to earth, very relaxed. Always looks cool, and that’s something I admire quite a bit, how just plain sailing he is with a lot of things,” Norris said. “It’s a good attribute to have — always hard to read what mood he’s in. For me, you see more visually kind of the moods I’m in.”
Norris’ mood is terrific as a first career F1 title is in his reach. He said he feels fortunate to have had a poor start to the season because he’s turned it around at the right time, but he’s not ready to celebrate a championship yet.
“Everyone knows my approach is still just one race at a time,” Norris said. “I will treat it that way until the very end.”
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