Anyone who just happened to access the broadcast from Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon would not have thought they were witnessing a coronation ceremony in Formula 1, but rather in the middle of a family program. A collective sob could be heard at the Yas Marina Circuit; after the big hunt, all that was left was to give hearts. A father who showed his lucky different colored sneakers to every camera, a mother who repeatedly formed a heart with her hands, a McLaren boss who was happy to finally no longer just have to give comforting hugs. These are scenes that correspond exactly to the 26-year-old racing driver who did nothing other than hold his nerve at the end of a Grand Prix season with many surprising twists and turns. In fact, without wanting to diminish his sporting talent, this was Lando Norris’ greatest achievement in this tense final against Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
Even more than for the driver himself, it was an opportunity for the British journalists to channel national pride into the numbers games so popular in the sport, redeemed from 1,457 days of Dutch rule. Not only is Norris one of only 35 drivers to become world champion in Formula 1, he is also only the eleventh Briton, albeit one with dual Belgian citizenship. But the greatest satisfaction seems to be the fact that since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and Jenson Button he has won the title in a British team, but with German engine power.
“I learned to understand myself better”
Lando Norris doesn’t even want to think about so much pathos. With his boyishness, he was simply trying to savor a moment that he had no longer dared to believe in by the middle of the year. The McLaren driver has never been at a loss for publicly admitting self-doubt; 110 races up to his first Formula 1 victory were a painful attempt for him. But since that day in Miami last May, he had proof that he could be suitable for the highest tasks.
Assuming he doesn’t continue to be too nervous if a Red Bull racing car or that of his internal title rival Oscar Piastri appears next to him. In the meantime, the self-criticism, even when things weren’t going well at the beginning of this racing year, had an almost destructive effect. But if you listened closely, you would also recognize a special way of motivating yourself through self-castigation. There is definitely a risk of being consumed by your own insecurity.
In a long monologue that followed the award ceremony in Abu Dhabi, Norris explained how he managed the mental turnaround at that very moment in August, when he was almost hopelessly behind, 34 points behind World Championship leader Piastri. “I have to understand what I think and why I think what,” he remembers the therapy approach, “why I make the decisions I make and how I make them. Speed was never my problem. It was about my inability to put things together properly.” He immersed himself on a deeper mental level: “So I learned to understand myself better and also how I have to behave in a title fight.”
World champion in his own way
In the final sprint he simply did what had to be done. Knowing full well that in the ending era of ground effect cars he may have his best or even only chance of winning the title. All champions claim to have respect for their colleagues. Lando Norris adds compassion and understanding to this. There were situations and races this year where that seemed almost naive. Behind it was the will to become world champion without bending over backwards. Norris calls it his path and was lucky to have Andrea Stella, perhaps the most empathetic team boss in Formula 1, behind him. He taught him to rely on inner conviction. So the premier class has now got a world champion who always asks himself: Am I enough?
This proves that, contrary to all prejudices, nice guys can win in Formula 1. This is obviously well received by the changing audience of top motorsport. “Norris is like each of us: a champion who also accepts his weaknesses,” praises the Italian “Corriere della Sera”. The Spanish sports paper “Mundo deportivo” even finds: “He is a world champion who breaks all the outdated stereotypes of Formula 1.”
Lando Norris is a Formula 1 world champion in his own way and can indulge his emotions extensively for the moment before he has to prove in 90 days in Melbourne that he is more than a one-hit wonder. He wants to take everyone with him on this journey. He repeatedly emphasizes that he didn’t just win for himself: “I’m not proud of the title, but I’m proud that I’m making a lot of other people happy with it.” The main thing is to give yourself a little bit too.
Keep reading
