Lando Norris’ status as Silverstone’s boyband-esque darling is clearly visible across the circuit’s vast, rain-soaked track. ‘Go Lando!’ banners adorn the grandstands and Netflix-era groupies hang around the turnstiles to catch a glimpse of the McLaren man.
With apologies to his countrymen, the Somerset-born racer would be the most popular winner of Sunday’s British Grand Prix. So pressure and attention go hand in hand.
But behind the shiny exterior and financial security for life at 24, Norris would rather stay home than face off-track fame. He cites an innate shyness.
“Privacy is one of the most important things, not being able to go unnoticed and being able to do things without people looking,” said Norris, who is second in the championship, 81 points behind Max Verstappen.
“When I go out to dinner or to a club, I’m still happy to do things that normal people do, but when I wake up in the morning, I see videos of whatever. People assume I’m with another girl because someone comes up and asks for a picture.”
Lando Norris (pictured) would be a very popular winner at this weekend’s British Grand Prix
But behind his shiny exterior lies a shy 24-year-old who would rather stay home than seek fame off the track.
Norris suffered a facial injury earlier this year during a party on a boat in Amsterdam
Much has changed in the life of this self-confessed former recluse. On a salary of more than £20 million, he now lives in Monaco, while his rookie self lived in an apartment near McLaren’s Woking factory. And when he cut his nose on a night out in Amsterdam earlier in the season, pictures of his bandaged face were splashed across social media. His boss and mentor Zak Brown spoke to him gently, not to restrict his freedom but to remind him that he is always in the public eye.
His first win in Miami in early May added a new dimension to his fame. As did his excellent performances in a McLaren good enough to compete with Red Bull’s Verstappen. The pair crashed in Austria last week while battling for the lead. Once again, his fame rose a notch.
“It’s annoying that everyone has perceptions that are not right and starts to assume or create things,” Norris says of his personal life. “Then I wonder if there is any point in going out now. I just want to stay home.
‘I’m staying indoors more and more, but I don’t want to because I want to go out with my friends and have fun.
“I don’t want this to come across as negative, like I’m complaining about myself. But I also don’t want any unnecessary stress. Everything I do is stressful enough. I still have to perform and do my job every day. If I have one bad day, I’m going to be thrown into hell – if I make one mistake, do this wrong, say this wrong.
Norris’s (left) boss and mentor, Zak Brown (right), had a word in the F1 driver’s ear after he suffered the nose injury
Norris has largely remained mum about his relationship status, but was spotted with Margarida Corceiro (left) at the Monte Carlo Masters final in April
Rumors have surfaced about a possible relationship between the two after they were pictured together on multiple occasions
British driver previously admitted having ‘lots of girlfriends’ while on a lie detector
Corceiro (pictured) is said to have attended the Miami Grand Prix where Norris took victory
But winning his first victory in Miami in early May added a new dimension to his fame
“I have to be perfect. It’s not just what you say, what you do, it’s what you see you do.”
Despite all the regrets he has about certain aspects of his life, you can’t help but wonder if his star status indicates that he might be going too far and his head might be getting too big for his helmet.
“That’s what my friends are for and the people around me. I’m very happy when they tell me I’m an absolute dick,” he reveals.
Do they say that often?
‘Yes, always! No, I can’t say that! They give me a sense of normality, the peace of life.
‘It’s been a pretty lonely existence. That’s because I grew up in the middle of nowhere, Glastonbury. I wasn’t anywhere near a city or a town. I was a loner. I was happy to play on my sim all day. I took that route.
“You don’t stay in a team for more than a year when you’re growing up, so you never have time to build a bond with anyone. In Formula 1, you don’t know who you can trust. It’s a very different lifestyle. You sacrifice a lot to be in this position, which I wouldn’t change.”
He can forget any sense of calm this weekend as he hopes to build on the short lead he enjoyed at Silverstone last year. His routine is set. He is staying at the new circuit hotel on the Hamilton Straight. He could walk across the bridge to the paddock.
But instead he drives the long route to soak up the atmosphere. Orange hats, orange shirts and on Saturday orange raincoats are for him, not for Dutch world champion Verstappen.
But a lot has changed in the life of this self-proclaimed former recluse, who now lives in Monaco
But the Formula 1 star may forget any sense of calm this weekend ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix
Norris (left) takes time to soak up the atmosphere around Silverstone during the race weekend
But Norris also spoke about his ambitions to win the British Grand Prix, before adding that he appreciates the support
He humbly admits that he finds it “weird” that people support him because he “drives fast in a car,” adding that he is just a “normal person.”
Norris says he never dreams, so the prospect of winning his home Grand Prix has never crossed his sleeping mind. But it is now overwhelming his consciousness.
“I want to do it here more than anywhere else,” he admits. “I want to make sure it’s perfect. And I appreciate the support I get.
‘I just find it weird that I just quickly get in the car and that people support me, a normal person.’
Thus spoke a half-shy hero.