Lando Norris names his “only emotional moment” in F1 - and it’s not Russia 2021

Lando Norris named securing pole position in Monaco earlier this year his “only emotional moment” in F1.

Norris is embroiled in a tight F1 title fight with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

Only nine points separate the McLaren pair heading into the Dutch Grand Prix next weekend.

With 10 rounds to go, it looks set to be a battle that goes down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

Norris has enjoyed his fair share of highs and lows in F1 since making his debut back in 2019.

Norris narrowly missed out on his maiden F1 victory at the Russian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver resisted late-race pressure from Lewis Hamilton behind, who was in a much quicker Mercedes.

However, Norris was misinformed about the weather and stayed out on dry tyres when the rain started to fall in Sochi.

Even though Norris was visibly upset after the race, he didn’t mention that when discussing some of his most emotional moments in F1.

Speaking on the ‘Quadcast’ YouTube channel, Norris admitted wanting to cry after his maiden win in Miami last year.

“I don’t get emotional,” he said. “Sometimes I want to cry and I can’t. Miami, I wanted to cry, I just couldn’t!

“The only emotional moment I had was pole in Monaco. Sometimes, proving to myself that I can do it… that’s how I’ve always been my whole life.

“The majority of things are mental. That’s almost the toughest side of everything. So for me, the happiest [moment] comes from when I prove something to myself. That’s how I’ve always been driven and how I’ve succeeded.

“This year, all my qualifyings have been a little bit worse than they have in previous years, and I’ve struggled just a little bit more… every now and then you can question yourself a little bit. ‘Damn, am I just not as good as what I was last year, or have I lost a little bit, or is it because I’m not getting the correct feelings?’.”

Norris backs himself

It’s been a topsy-turvy campaign for Lando Norris.

Unfortunately, the more competitive McLaren has become in recent years, the more error-prone Norris has been.

2025 has arguably been the worst season of Norris’ McLaren career since his first season in 2019.

Despite his struggles, particularly in qualifying, he’s within touching distance of Piastri in the title race.

Norris said that securing pole in Monaco was crucial as it “proved that I’ve still got it”.

“When I’m realistic, I’m at the top level in the world against the best drivers in the world. If things aren’t perfect, I’m not going to be on pole,” Norris added.

“When I went to Monaco, the trickiest one of the year, so many things can go so easily wrong… that one place, qualifying’s the most important thing in the world. I went out and I proved that I’ve still got it. That was just a very cool moment for me.”