Norris celebrated win with Imola in mind: "Appropriate for the occasion"

F1 News

Norris reflects on Miami win and looks ahead to Imola
16 May at 13:57
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lando Norris remains grounded after becoming a Formula 1 winner last time out in Miami. The British driver believes McLaren is "still the third best" team on the grid, behind Red Bull and Ferrari, but hints that more upgrades are in the pipeline.

Focus switches to Imola

Norris showcased some of his celebrations on social media, with one Instagram post showing just a 1% recovery. The McLaren driver was due to fly home the same evening, but CEO Zak Brown changed those plans to ensure the team could celebrate together in the United States. Norris promises that he didn't go over the top with the celebrations, keeping the upcoming race weekend in mind.

"I celebrated appropriately for the occasion, of course, but it's another weekend, so I've got to make sure I'm prepared and ready to go. You still think of it a lot, I still think of it now. But at the same time, as much as you want to keep it in your mind, you have to turn your focus to the next weekend which is this one and hopefully try and replicate a similar thing. As much as I loved it, it's now onto the next," Norris said.

In the week before the Imola Grand Prix, McLaren explained why they expect to be stronger in Imola than in Miami. Norris also expects the upgrades, which he fitted last time out, to work better this weekend but believes the team are still behind Ferrari and Red Bull.

"We need more if we're going to challenge Ferrari and Red Bull more consistently. But the team are doing a great job. They made some good steps, and we have more things hopefully coming in the future, and those [upgrades] are what we need to be there more often," Norris concluded.

Ferrari and Red Bull will also be fitted with upgrades this weekend, whilst Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri will also get the full upgrades from McLaren. In Miami, he received around 50% of the changes.