Will Norris ever learn how to race? Up/Down in Canada

“Something… something.. going for a gap… racing driver,” goes the famous quotation: or something like that.

Cue a grumpy Ayrton Senna looking defiant against Jackie Stewart’s slightly lecturing, furrowed brow.

The quotes, clips and memes of the above champions’ famous exchange have been flying round as thousands on the internet have made a side-splitting connection between it and Lando Norris going for a opening in Canada which apparently never existed in the first place.

The McLaren driver is arguably the fastest British racing driver of a generation, but he seems to have a bit of a problem: he can’t race.

When Norris suddenly had a car to challenge from the early part of last year, the Brit found himself regularly pushed around by Max Verstappen, and when that wasn’t happening, his team-mate Oscar Piastri was doing it instead.

Canada was just the latest in a long-line of missed opportunities for the lad from Somerset.

Norris has the speed, but does he have the grit and know-how to duke it out with the unscrupulous likes of Verstappen and Piastri?

Going Down – Crunch time

Fans and pundits alike have been urging Lando Norris to be more assertive in his racing.

Maybe that was what was going through the McLaren man’s head when putting Piastri under pressure, going for what he thought was a late-race gap, but was never actually there.

Norris was overly-keen. Was that the moment the drivers’ championship ended?

Going Up – This is great banter! It really is…

The fastest thing out of King’s Lynn also has some pretty pacey wit, as he demonstrated by getting another dig in on Verstappen.

The Merc alluded to the Dutchman having a hand tied behind his back in battle due to sailing very close to the wind on penalty points after the pair locked out the front row in Canada qualifying.

Sadly Verstappen actually behaved himself in the race for once, but post-quali was another great episode RUS-VER’s Louis Vuitton-branded handbags.

Going Down – Sunday Stroll

Lance Stroll returned after a mysterious wrist injury by delivering a classic performance for his home crowd i.e. he finished last.

Going Up – Marmots

Lewis Hamilton pranging his Prancing Horse on the local wildlife gave him another reason to divert from the fact that he probably is just a bit past it, hence the uninspiring season.

Good work, marmots.

Going Down – Suspension of disbelief

Now FIA steward Derek Warwick has been suspended for, err, the heinous crime of agreeing with the stewards’ decision on Verstappen’s Barcelona misdemeanours.

Still, all these F1 veterans are walking a tightrope getting involved with seedy gambling firms by feeding them quotes (which is where Warwick’s words originated) – do they really need the money?

Going Up – Blue-and-pink rinse

It says a lot for how difficult Franco Colapinto’s F1 re-entry has been that going from 10th on the grid to 13th in the race was massive improvement so far.

But the Argentinian qualified well before looking racy throughout the opening sequence.

Unfortunately the Alpine driver then fell back as the race progressed, but it was at last a promising sign after his travails so far.

Going Up – Hülkenback

Hülkenberg and Sauber’s upgraded car has kick-started its season (sorry). Eighth brought in more points for a revitalised Hinwil.

Maybe Audi’s 1 project isn’t such a no-hoper after all?

Going Down – Sad second seat

After a sensational (by Red Bull second driver standards) run in the points of P9 –RET – P10 – P10, Yuki-San now hasn’t scored for three races. If it carries on like this, what are the odds on his F1 career staying alive after this season?