Norris proud to achieve ‘awesome’ McLaren record as he shares expectations for team’s 1000th Grand Prix

Lando Norris has spoken of his pride at becoming the driver to achieve the most starts for McLaren, with the Briton hoping to continue on the team’s journey “for many more years” as they prepare to mark their 1000th Grand Prix in Formula 1.

Ahead of the squad’s milestone weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, Norris was quizzed during Thursday’s media day on how proud he feels to have recorded more race starts with the papaya outfit than any other driver, having notched up a tally of 156 to beat previous record-holder David Coulthard’s total of 150.

“Very,” the reigning World Champion – who made his F1 debut for McLaren back in 2019 – responded. “My dream was to be in F1 in the beginning, [it] was to be with McLaren.

“I don't think at any point I ever thought I'd be the driver in McLaren with the most race starts for them – that's a pretty awesome stat to think of. To be honest, normally I hate stats in general and I hate when people say them, but this is one that I'm just proud of, for sure.

“It's not like a performance stat, it's more like a general one, and that's something, just to see my name alongside so many greats. I know one championship is pretty amazing, but a lot of others and a lot of the people that everyone knows and remembers achieved a lot more, and I certainly want to get to the level that they did, but for my name to be amongst some incredible drivers in the past is an amazing thing.

“For me to play a small part in helping McLaren go from where they were a few years ago – which is where no one wants to see McLaren – to where we are now has been an incredible journey that I've been very lucky to be part of.

“I'm a lucky boy, and I'll be here for many more years at the same time, trying to keep McLaren in the position that they are now, which is winning Constructors' Championships, winning championships for drivers. I know how lucky I've been to be part of that journey, and I hope that it continues for many more years.”

As Norris touched on, McLaren have embarked on a resurgence during his time with the outfit that has seen them claim back-to-back Teams’ Championships in 2024 and 2025, as well as bringing Norris his maiden Drivers’ title last season.

This run of success also saw him claim a debut Monaco Grand Prix victory 12 months ago. While the 26-year-old is not feeling quite as confident of repeating the feat this time around, he admits that there are also reasons for the team to have confidence for their 1000th race.

“I think our run into this weekend this time last year was probably a little bit better than we’ve had this year, so maybe [the confidence is] not quite to the level it was last season, but I think we're optimistic,” Norris explained.

“We still want to come in with hopes of trying to achieve a pole and trying to achieve a win – [they are] still the goals we want to set ourselves. But Ferrari and Mercedes have obviously been very strong, Mercedes even more so.

“So we won’t get ahead of ourselves – we don't want to be too optimistic, but at the same time I think we've given ourselves the chance to come into weekends with the belief that it's possible, and that's the way we want to stay for now.”

Norris also acknowledged that it is “tough to say” whether the streets of Monte Carlo will suit the characteristics of the McLaren MCL40.

“We were closer to pole this year in Montreal than we were last time in Montreal when we had a more dominant car,” the British driver said. “We went on to win in a similar characteristic of track, a slow-speed, slow-grip track that we have here.

“So when you just think of those things, it kind of gives us confidence; when you think of various other things like just our general performance this year, less so. But we also know where we stand compared to the other cars – where they're fast, where they're not.

“It's true that the Ferraris are not the quickest in the straights, but that's also because they have a lot of downforce and a lot of drag. So it's kind of their own punishment they give themselves, which gives them some advantage, and that advantage will definitely show this weekend.”