Monaco, Las Vegas, Singapore. The list of pitstops on Lando Norris’ road to the top of Formula One is like a luxury travel agent’s catalogue.
So when I was asked to trace the young man’s journey ahead of a weekend in which he could become the first British champion driver since Lewis Hamilton, my hopes were high.
As the taxi pulled up outside the Clay Pigeon Raceway in Dorchester, however, my excitement was taken down a few gears.
It may seem an inauspicious place to blood the talent of those who will become some of the most glamorous, fiery competitors in sport, but here, in the shadow of an industrial estate not far from Yeovil, is where a growing number of Formula One stars are made.
As well as Lando, Phil Hanson and Jenson Button sped and skidded around the track as children.
For Rob Dodds, who coached Norris and Hanson when they were earning their training wheels, his role in their success is hard to put into words. “It’s mad, innit,” he laughs.
Norris in particular could soon enter the sport’s big leagues. Should he seal his first Formula One world championship on Sunday, he would join an exclusive club – and with sporting superstardom sealed, soon the crossover cultural status enjoyed by the likes of Hamilton will surely be close behind.
That world is a long way away from the one Norris’ teacher inhabits. Dodds is a former boxer from Wales who turned to karting after sustaining an injury. He has allowed me to grace the same track as his superstar alumni to get a feel for his journey – but there is one bump in the road – I haven’t even got a driving licence. Bumper cars are the most experience I’ve had at the wheel.
But really, how hard could it be? Norris himself hadn’t passed his test when he first sped around this circuit – he was seven years old.
If children under 10 years old can fearlessly whiz around, surely I’d pick it up quickly.
In person, the cars drive a lot faster than you see on screen. The same was true for my two-pedal kart. After being given instructions on how to operate the machine (left pedal = break, right pedal = accelerate), I was off.
Things started well; pushing my right foot down did indeed move the car, but I learned the hard way that, at the Clay Pigeon Raceway, as in Norris career, things happen very quickly. I was given an instructor to trail behind to keep me on track but, after getting cocky on a sharp turn, I spun out and lost him.
I persevered and got back on track but, on the next bend, I spun out again, lodging my wheels into the well-kept grass. I’m expecting a hefty gardening bill.
After a while I got the hang of it. Am I the next Hamilton? No. But I see the appeal. After leaving the track (with a final lap time of 1m 30s), Dodds recalled the first time he saw Lando drive – a memory in no way jogged by my effort.
“It was obvious the kid had something,” he said. The future star was whizzing around the track aggressively, doing the lap times of drivers five years older than him (about 35s). “That was when I first noticed him,” he said.
Dodds quickly took Norris under his wing. When Norris turned eight, the fledging racer marked the day by decorating his helmet and having it signed by a man he would soon race wheel to wheel with. On his birthday weekend, young Lando visited the Silverstone circuit. “He waited in the car park and got all their signatures on his crash helmet,” he said. Among those who signed was Hamilton.
Lando soon found himself racing across the country every weekend. “Parents usually wait until the kids are about 10 or 11 to do national championships. We had Lando doing them from eight years old.”
Typically, the driver’s ascent through the world of racing has been rapid. What does Dodds make of his current success? “I’m very proud indeed,” he said.
While the 26-year-old has become an undeniable motorsport talent, there have been obstacles to navigate. Last year, he appeared to blame McLaren for losing the Canadian Grand Prix, a flash of petulance that can be forgiven in such precocious talent. On Thursday, he was disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix alongside Oscar Piastri for a rule breach.
“It’s motor sport. Nothing is straightforward,” said Dodds. “It’s not the first time he’s gone through things like this. He’s a professional but they forget he’s still a young man. I think he’s done really well to be honest.”
Despite the last-minute setbacks, there are hopes that Lando can score his first Formula One world championship victory this weekend. Should he pull it off, Dodds would be delighted.
“It’ll be a job well done. Firstly, I’d be pleased for him and then secondly, pleased for myself. It’s a bit surreal, that’s for sure. I was just doing my job,” he said.