Unveiling Lando Norris' F1 Journey and Achievements

Early Beginnings and Dream Realization

Norris began his F1 career after Netflix's "Drive to Survive" gained popularity, but he had been watching the sport since his childhood. Reflecting on his journey, he says, "Living those moments of, 'I wonder what it’s like to win a race. I wonder what it’s like to have the whole team there supporting you and cheering.' Those are things that you dream of achieving, and that’s something that I’m managing to do." His first win in Formula 1 was a dream come true, and it set the stage for greater achievements.

Even after a few races at the start of the year, McLaren was not confident of winning championships. However, through hard work and continuous improvement in various areas, they became the most competitive team this year. Norris emphasizes the difficulty of competing against the best, stating, "It’s definitely not any easier, and if anything it’s tougher because you’re racing against the best of the best who have been in this position for much longer than we have."

Unique Racing Experiences and Moments

Once inside the car, Norris enters a different world. He forgets everything around him and focuses solely on driving. He describes it as a "cool moment" with pressure and adrenaline, which makes it even more special than test sessions. "We can do test sessions, but a test session doesn’t feel anywhere near as cool as qualifying or race because of the pressure and the adrenaline and all of these things," he explains.

Looking back at his childhood, Norris wishes he could relive the time when cars had V12 and V10 engines. He says, "I first started watching Formula 1 when I was a kid. I would love to live that time because the cars were very different — had V12s, V10 engines, which were sounding crazy compared to what we have now. Times were very, very different. There was less social media, which I would like to experience again [laughs]."

Grandstand and Fan Impact

Next year, Norris will have his own grandstand, dubbed Landostand, at the British Grand Prix, and it sold out within minutes. Reflecting on this, he says, "The bit that I always remind myself of is when I was watching Formula 1 when I was a kid and you’re seeing it on TV, seeing all the [Lewis] Hamilton fans or the [Fernando] Alonso fans or Jenson [Button], [Sebastian] Vettel. That’s what I always kind of dreamed of and wanted to live that moment. Now I am living that moment and I think that’s something that is hard to picture and imagine and to kind of compare, but that is I’m now living the moment that I wanted to. … It’s very special."

Mental Health and Openness

As someone who has chosen to be open about his mental health, Norris believes in being honest about his feelings. He says, "Whether it has to do with driving or stuff off track, like mental health, I’ve always just been very honest with saying what I felt. When I’ve struggled, when I’ve improved, when I’ve got better, when I’ve had my bad days, when I have good days, when I do a bad job on track, when I do a good job, I’ll always just be honest with my feelings." He realizes the positive impact his words can have on others and finds it special.

Balancing Public and Private Life

Dealing with the constant spotlight on his life is a challenge for Norris. He is now trying to have a more dedicated private life and separate it from his public life. He admits, "It’s tough [laughs]. That’s probably one of the biggest negatives is dealing with the public and private life. A lot of things are on social media, so a lot of private becomes public in some ways. Now I kind of respect my private life more."

Social Media and Its Impact

Norris has fun with social media, often making comments that send fans into a frenzy. He says, "I love seeing what people come up with. And people kind of think they know things when they often have absolutely zero idea. Sometimes you’re just like, how the hell have you come up with something like that, there’s no truth to it. But yeah, I have a bit of fun every now and then [laughs]."

Perfect Day Off

Norris has two preferences for his perfect day off. He loves spending time alone, doing simple things like lying in bed and watching TV or Netflix. He says, "I love just days alone, because my life is full of people normally and I’m not like the biggest people person [laughs]. I don’t like talking too much and doing those things, so I love doing the opposite." But he also enjoys spending time with his friends, doing normal activities like golf, paddle, or going to dinner.

Overcoming Challenges

One of the biggest challenges Norris has overcome is learning to focus more on himself and not worry about what others think. He says, "I think one of the biggest challenges has been just probably focusing more on myself and not worrying as much what other people think. I think I grew up a little bit I think in the correct way, which is always trying to do the right thing and please people and make people smile or never say the wrong thing. But that just is again, very stressful. So trying to be happier to displease people allows you to be just more yourself and just allows you to live a bit more freely."

Future Aspirations

Looking ahead, Norris is unsure where Formula 1 will be in five years, but he hopes to still be in the sport and a champion by then. He says, "Five years is a lot [laughs]! I don’t know where Formula 1 is going to be in five years; I don’t know what the cars are gonna look like. But at the minute, I still love my job, I still love doing what I’m doing, so there’ll be a time when that changes. I started driving when I was a kid because I love to drive and I love to just do that. So there’ll be a time when I wanna do something different and that might be in five years, it could be in 10 years, it could be in two years, I don’t know."

Defining Lando Norris

When asked to describe what makes him, Lando Norris, he says, "I always want to have fun and enjoy every moment of my life. Whether that’s when I’m on track and in F1 or outside of it. I think it’s the reason I get on with a good amount of drivers and I’m good friends with drivers because I just want to enjoy things I do. I don’t feel like I need to have enemies and stuff like that. Again, that’s my opinion. There isn’t a correct way, but I just want to enjoy my life and have fun."