“I Hope People Make a Lot of Money off of Me”: Lando Norris Jokes on Bookies Giving Him Best Odds

1st position and winner Lando Norris of Great Britain driver of the car MCL38 no 4 of the McLaren Formula One Team

After missing out on the 2024 title to Max Verstappen, McLaren’s Lando Norris goes into the 2025 season as the title favorite. The #4 driver is aware of this and recently joked about it on the Fast and the Curious podcast.

Norris helped McLaren win their first Constructors’ title since 1998 last year and now sees himself as a championship contender. While he knows the pressure that the label puts on his shoulders, he saw the light side of it when informed that the bookmakers have him as the favorite.

“I mean I just did the media session and they’re like ‘Oh the bookies have you at the best odds and stuff. Which is great and I hope people make a load of money off of me as long as they give me a cut,” he said jokingly to the hosts.

But the 25-year-old also reflected on the pressure it has put him under. However, he clarified that it wasn’t just him that was under pressure but the entire team who are now expected to be the benchmark for the entire field.

Norris cites 2024 Abu Dhabi GP to show how ready he is for 2025

Norris went on to reveal that while he is in the cockpit, he doesn’t even have the time to soak in the pressure. Once the visor is down, he only has one target. He cited the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP as the perfect example.

Going into the last race of the season, the Constructors’ title fight had gone right down to the wire between McLaren and Ferrari. At the start, Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri was involved with Max Verstappen in an incident that saw the Australian racing ace tumbling down the order.

This meant that Norris had to win the race to leave the team with any chance of winning the title. And win he did despite Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz hounding him throughout the race.

“I mean, when you’re in the car, you don’t almost have the time to think of these things,” he explained. In fact, Norris was so engrossed in the task at hand that he did not even know where he finished once the chequered flag was waived.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Lando Norris McLaren

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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