By Alan Baldwin
SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) -Lando Norris said winning his home British Grand Prix was everything he had ever dreamed of and everything he had ever wanted to achieve, apart from winning the Formula One championship.
The McLaren driver’s fourth win of the season left him eight points behind Australian teammate and F1 leader Oscar Piastri but Sunday at Silverstone was less about the numbers and more about the emotions.
No tears were shed, he claimed, even when he stepped out of the car and embraced his mother.
“Apart from a championship, I think this is as good as it gets in terms of feelings, in terms of achievement, being proud –- all of it,” he told 2009 champion and compatriot Jenson Button.
“You know, this is where it all started for me… watching you on TV many years ago. And now, thankfully, I’ve been able to have my go.
“The last few laps, I was just looking into the crowd. I was just trying to take it all in, enjoy the moment because it might never happen again. I hope it does but these are memories that I’ll bring with me forever.”
Norris, whose fans had their own ‘Landostand’ at Silverstone, said after winning in Monaco that it was a boyhood dream come true but Silverstone was another level.
The roll-call of British greats is long and Norris added his name to a list that has Lewis Hamilton’s inscribed a record nine times.
“When I get emotional, I don’t cry, I just smile. It’s pure happiness,” he said of his feelings on taking the chequered flag and the wobble in his voice that had suggested tears might be flowing.
“It’s pure enjoyment of the moment that you’re in,” he told reporters. “I wish I could cry because I think it looks better for pictures sometimes. But no, I just smile instead.
“I’ve joined a long list of pretty incredible winners who have won here in the past. Most of them are Lewis. But to join him and, from a British side, to continue the reign of the British here is pretty amazing.
“The last two laps, looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet and cheering — these are moments that no one really gets, none of you guys get to witness. This is something that I and very few others, especially Brits, get to witness.
“It’s a very selfish moment but it’s one of the most special, the most incredible.
“I’m not going say it’s my best win, that’s not true. But in terms of what it means to win here at home the want, the desire to do it in front of my own grandstand, my family, my friends, McLaren… makes it all even more special.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon)
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