2025 Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has opened up about the people who shaped his life and motorsport career.
The British driver made his F1 debut in 2019 with McLaren and has remained with the Woking outfit since, helping the team rise from near the back of the grid to back-to-back constructors’ championship titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as his maiden drivers’ title.
It will come as no surprise that Norris first chose his dad as one of the most influential figures in his career, as well as McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella.
“Number one is my dad,” Norris explained during a video posted by McLaren. “He had his love for racing when he was a kid. When he grew up, he couldn’t really do it. But he worked hard and gave the opportunity to both my brother and myself to get into racing. He allowed me to live my dream.
“I remember playing on the PlayStation with my dad when I was three or four years old, playing Gran Turismo. That’s where it all really started.”
In addition to those already mentioned, Norris also took a lot of inspiration from MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. The McLaren driver’s first motorsport love was motorbikes. “Valentino Rossi, a guy that I looked up to as a kid. I was more into motorbikes when I was younger than I was into four-wheel. So, Valentino Rossi,” he continued.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images
“And then next two, quite easy, Zak [Brown]. Zak’s been someone I’ve worked with for many years. I don’t think you’ll genuinely ever find someone who works as much as Zak. If you ever spend a day with Zak, you’ll be able to talk to him for about five minutes because the rest is on calls, meetings, emails, texts, and everything else.
“So nowadays, lucky to even get a golf game with Zak. But he’s not just a fun person to be around or to be with on the golf course, but from the business side, he’s a pretty amazing person and very successful. So that’s one.
“And then the final one, keeping it within the team, is Andrea Stella, someone I’ve worked with since I joined McLaren, who came over from Ferrari many years ago.
“You’ve really got to meet Andrea and have personal talks with him and understand him as a person to understand what he’s capable of doing, and I think he’s proved that from a McLaren standpoint with what he’s achieved and helped McLaren do over the last [handful] of years, but especially the last two or three.
“But again, a person who always opens your eyes to something you’ll never have thought of, gives you extra thoughts, someone who makes you rethink many things.”
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