Lando Norris announces his return with pole, win, and the DHL Fastest Lap!

These last few weeks and months have not been easy for Lando Norris. After starting the season with a win in Australia, things had stopped going his way, especially in qualifying. But McLaren’s man finally hit back in Monaco and crowned a stunning performance with the DHL Fastest Lap towards the end.

Norris had finally made his big breakthrough on Saturday after struggling since the start of the season to squeeze the last tenth of a second out of his McLaren in qualifying - tough times for a driver who is normally one of racing’s great specialists on Saturdays.

Now, qualifying at Monaco is more important than anywhere else on the calendar - just one mistake in the quali could result in disaster. However, Norris had a clear run this time as he told us: "Today was probably the first time since Australia that I’ve really put it all together. So it’s not like I’m driving quicker, it’s I’m driving in a better way, in a smarter way."

Feeling very confident, Norris launched himself into Sunday’s race, not quite knowing what it might bring. According to new regulations, two tire swaps are now necessary, which caused plenty of stress for Norris, especially towards the end, when, after controlling the race from the front up until that point, he caught up with Max Verstappen, who was still toughing it out on old tires. Norris said after the race: "Especially at the end with Max ahead, there were some tense moments trying not to get too close to Max, otherwise that’s when Charles had opportunities."

Nevertheless, Norris remained free of error despite intense pressure from Charles Leclerc behind him. He knew Verstappen would have to stop again, and when the Red Bull finally turned into the pit lane with one lap to go, he showed everyone exactly what he’s made of. On his way to the checkered flag, he burned the DHL Fastest Lap into the asphalt with a time of 1:13.221.

"In the end, the result was the perfect one," said Norris. "Tricky at times, with the amount of cars, there were big bunches of cars, so getting through them without making mistakes, without any silly things happening was always the most nerve-wracking bit. Otherwise, I felt good. I felt good with the tires, with the management of tires and stints and all of those things."