Formula 1 champion Lando Norris: Is the McLaren star better than his reputation?

Last year, Lando Norris achieved what many F1 drivers can only dream of: he was crowned world champion. At times, it certainly didn’t look as though the Briton would clinch the title, as his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri led the championship for a long time and, at one stage, had a substantial lead over his team-mate.

Norris persevered and delivered one strong race after another in the closing stages. At the same time, his team-mate was going through a dip in form. Nevertheless, Norris did not have it all his own way, as Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen stepped up his game so much in the final races that the championship battle dragged on right up to the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Norris ultimately prevailed, with two points making all the difference in the end.

Lando Norris in the critics’ crosshairs

However, he has yet to receive widespread recognition from some long-standing figures in the paddock. They point to the privileges Norris has enjoyed as the son of a wealthy family. This overlooks the fact that this applies to several drivers in the field. This is another reason why Rob Smedley is annoyed by the reputation Norris has among some experts.

The former Ferrari engineer says on the ‘High Performance Racing’ podcast: ‘If you listen around the paddock and talk to people, you realise he has a bit of a bad reputation. People always say: ‘Oh, Lando had this fantastic junior career.’ And that’s true. Fantastic in the sense that his racing commitments were very well funded. I think he simply had it all. But now he’s arrived here, and he still has to prove himself.”

Not the only privileged driver

The fact that the necessary financial resources were available does not detract from the McLaren star’s achievements, Smedley emphasises: “There are plenty of other drivers on whom more money was spent in the junior categories, and who still haven’t managed to shine in Formula 1.” He therefore doesn’t regard the critics as insiders. “Those close to the team know how tough the sport is and what Norris achieves every week. He gets nothing but praise from them.”

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Behind the scenes, it’s clear just how hard Norris works, the 52-year-old Briton continues: “He’s incredibly fast, and has become very consistent too. And actually, I think he’s a tough guy, despite his social media activities. He has tremendous mental strength, and that was already evident last year. He’s very resilient. It doesn’t matter what his childhood was like or everything his father Adam did for him. He’s really got what it takes and is a tough guy.”