Lando Norris says that winning the Formula 1 World Championship has made him more relaxed and confident without changing his personality
Lando Norris emphasizes that achieving his lifelong dream of becoming Formula 1 World Champion hasn’t changed him as a person, although it has given him a sense of calm and confidence behind the wheel.
The McLaren driver reflected on his championship victory during an interview with Sky, which was filmed after he announced his contract extension with the Woking-based team through the end of 2030.
When asked how he thinks winning the championship has changed him, Norris replied: “It hasn’t, which is exactly what I want. I don’t want it to change me. I don’t want it to change who I am.”
“I think I can just walk around with the feeling that I’ve achieved something that very few people in the world get to achieve, and I know that I’ve fulfilled my childhood dream,” Norris said.
“That’s something not many people get to achieve. So I know how lucky I am. I know how lucky I am to be at McLaren.“ What winning the championship has changed for the 26-year-old is his attitude outside the car.
”There’s an element where I know people have high expectations, and I have high expectations of myself, and that’s where it all starts,” he says about the pressure of the current championship season.
“But there’s also the fact that we had such a difficult start to the year. We had a lot—and I mean a lot—of bad luck with many things. We knew we’d be starting from behind,” he emphasizes.
“[Fighting for the championship] certainly wasn’t the first thought we had. The fact that it’s become a possibility is a pretty amazing thing,” he says about McLaren’s recent progress.
“So I’m very relaxed, since I’m in the position of being the one chasing. But every time I’m on the track, it doesn’t necessarily make me feel any different. Every time I put on my helmet, I still want to win.“
”I want to be at the front today. I want to be on pole position. And that’s the same mindset I’ve always had,“ he clarifies, explaining: ”It changes my attitude, especially when I’m out of the car.”
“But I wouldn’t say it changes anything when I’m in the car, because when I’m in it, it’s always 100 percent. It’s always full throttle,” he emphasizes, adding: “I want to be number one, no matter what situation I’m in.”