Lando Norris considers pursuit of Triple Crown: ‘Already checked off one race’

Lando Norris has hinted that he is open to a pursuit of the coveted Triple Crown. In motorsport, drivers can achieve this holy grail by winning the Monaco GP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indy 500. Last year, Norris already checked off one of those victories when he was dominant on the streets of Monte Carlo. Inspired by the ventures of his F1 colleagues, he cautiously dreams of the Triple Crown.

There is only one driver in history who can officially call himself a Triple Crown winner. Graham Hill won the Monaco GP five times in his prime – earning him the nickname ‘Mr. Monaco’ – as well as the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren has already announced with its new hypercar project that the team aims for the Triple Crown, but what about Lando Norris? Does he ever want to cross off the remaining wins in Indianapolis and Le Mans from his list? The Brit visited the 110th Indy 500 last weekend, where he was asked that question.

“You never know,” Norris laughed to the local press. “I don’t want to say ‘no’ because I definitely want to race outside of Formula 1. I’m a racing fan and love Formula 1 the most, but there are so many other forms of racing that I really enjoy: motorcycle racing, rally, IndyCar, you name it. The Indy 500 is of course the big race and also part of McLaren’s Triple Crown plans. I’ve already won in Monaco, so part one is complete. I also have a championship under my belt. For the Triple Crown, two races remain. I never seriously thought about it, but now I have achieved one of those goals.”

Inspiration

Apart from Graham Hill, several drivers came close to the Triple Crown, including Fernando Alonso. He won the Monaco GP twice and the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, but during his Indy 500 debut with McLaren, he only managed 24th place. The Spaniard led for 27 laps, but his engine gave out in the final phase. “Seeing Fernando (Alonso, ed.) try makes me even more enthusiastic,” Norris admitted. “You never know,” he concluded mysteriously.

Max Verstappen, who already made a trip to the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this year, rules out ever wanting to conquer the Triple Crown, despite having won Monaco twice. “Le Mans, yes, but I’m not interested in the Triple Crown,” Verstappen revealed last year during the Azerbaijan GP. “I like watching IndyCar, but I don’t want to drive in it myself.”