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Lando Norris is the 35th man to win the Formula One world title, but he is seen as a new kind of driver who doesn’t shy away from talking about his feelings and weaknesses, which used to be seen as a strict taboo in the fast sport.

“Too soft, too privileged, a bit Gen Z – but Lando Norris is proving doubters wrong,” the Daily Telegraph said last month.

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For ex-champion Sebastian Vettel, Norris has ended the cliche that Formula One drivers, and other athletes, have to be “machines” who “don’t show weaknesses.”

“I am generally impressed by him. One thing is the driving, but more so as a human being, how courageous he is to open up speaking about how he feels,” Vettel told F1’s Beyond the Grid last month.

“It is great seeing Lando being such a role model inside Formula One but also outside Formula One. That’s the reason why he is so popular, he is giving people something else.”

The British McLaren driver not only likes to have a good laugh, he is also thoughtful and self-critical. He is outspoken about mental challenges too, such as being so nervous on some race days that he can hardly eat or drink.

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Norris told The Guardian early in the season that “you don’t have to have a killer instinct to be world champion” and that he wanted to do so as “a nice guy” in the sport.

“I want to just enjoy my life. That’s kind of the attitude that’s maybe not as much of a killer instinct. I feel like there is a very prescribed version of how people say a world champion needs to be – overly aggressive.

“I want to win a championship. I’d rather just be a good person and try to do well. I’ll do whatever I can to win a championship but maybe I won’t sacrifice in my life as much as some others.”

Toughness when it matters

Sunday’s title is the culmination of Norris’ career in F1, which he has spent entirely at McLaren since his 2019 debut.

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A first win came only last year in Miami and he has gone on to seal 11 full-race victories.

His team-mate Oscar Piastri dominated the first half of the season but Norris hung on in there and pounced once the Australian, who collided with the Briton twice during the season, faded.

When he won in Mexico this year, Norris was booed, which was related to team decisions that were beyond his control. In Brazil, there were also boos after Norris’ victory, and he said post-race that he had learned to cope.

“I care a lot about people’s perspectives and how I’m portrayed. I probably cared too much. I’ve just learned to deal with those things better.

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“Not by not caring, because I still always want to have a good impression, I never want to be rude or do those things,” he said.

Norris and Piastri were both disqualified at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. But that did not matter in the end and Norris’ performances on the track thereafter showed his toughness when it matters.

“I never want to be seen as giving things up because I’m too nice. I’ll still fight for things and I’ll still take risks and I’ll still do whatever I know I can do to be a world champion but without losing the liberty of who I am,” he told The Guardian.