Norris says he misses success, even if fame has its flip-side
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SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 17 : Lando Norris is missing that winning feeling, even as he lives the life of a Formula One world champion and all that comes with it.
The McLaren driver achieved a career dream when he won the title last season, ending Red Bull rival Max Verstappen’s run of four championships in a row, but the victories have dried up since the sport entered a new rules era.
A year ago Norris lined up on pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix and finished runner-up to teammate Oscar Piastri but the Briton will start Sunday’s race on the back foot with a 10-place grid penalty after changes to his car’s power electronics unit.
The 26-year-old has not won a Grand Prix since last November, a run of 12 races without standing on top of the podium, and McLaren are third overall.
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“Every time I put my helmet on, I’m just as motivated to do the best job I absolutely can,” he said at Spa-Francorchamps. “I just simply miss the success. I miss standing on a podium, spraying the champagne, holding a trophy.
“Of course you get used to winning races and fighting for a podium every weekend, and now I’m just missing it.”
TWO RACE RETIREMENTS AND ONE NON-START
Norris has had two Grand Prix podiums so far in 2026 – second place in Miami in a May race he might have won and third in Barcelona in June – but also two retirements and one failure to start.
“There is that little fire you get when success comes your way and you are fighting for the world championship… that kind of is a little bit dimmer. But I wouldn’t go out on track not wanting to do my absolute best,” he said.
Away from the track, the champion is experiencing the flip side of success – being chased by paparazzi photographers through the streets of London and having his private life splashed across social media and celebrity news sites.
If the title has made him more relaxed and outgoing – Norris said he sometimes felt like a loser last year when he kept his discipline and stayed home alone racing online – it has also eroded the privacy he once enjoyed.
The Briton said he had been amused by some of the speculation about who he was seeing and what he was doing, and had learned not to pay attention to social media.
While he accepted it was part of being a Formula One driver, Norris said some boundaries had been crossed.
“I think the next level is paparazzi, you know, waiting for you in places, or tailing you,” said Norris.
“I drove to my friend’s house in London, and I knew a paparazzi who was just following me the whole way and followed me for, like, 40 minutes through London, just waiting to see who I was going to see, who I was going to meet, where I was going.
“You start to just feel a bit more violated in your life… I can’t leave my hotel or my house without someone literally trying to see every move I’m doing… I won’t accept people kind of following you. I think that’s just odd.”
Source: Reuters
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