“I Feel Like He’ll Be a Black Belt”: Lando Norris Is Wary of Challenging ‘Smallest’ Yuki Tsunoda for a Fight

F1 drivers love dueling on the track. Regardless of which team they drive for, a good old-fashioned wheel-to-wheel battle gets the adrenaline pumping. But when it comes to throwing hands, are they just as excited about a fight?

Evidenced by Lando Norris‘ recent comments, F1 drivers seem to be selective about the battles they choose.

In a conversation with SPORTbible ahead of the Australian GP, Norris answered questions from celebrities and fans. When British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn asked which driver on the grid he would like to face in a proper bout, Norris had an interesting response.

The 25-year-old replied, “The easiest answer would be Yuki Tsunoda because he’s the smallest.”

This wasn’t the first time a driver on the grid took a sly dig at the RB driver for his height. In 2022, Esteban Ocon—then driving for Alpine—intentionally bent down during a press conference to each Tsunoda‘s height — 5 ft. 3 inches.

That said, Norris was quick to second-guess himself, reasoning that, being from Japan, Tsunoda might be adept at martial arts. “I feel like he’ll be a black belt,” he interjected. In reality, however, there is no evidence to back that claim. Tsunoda isn’t known in the paddock for his martial arts prowess—except for a photo taken by renowned photojournalist Kym Illman.

The Australian captured the RB driver arriving at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, looking buff and flexing his muscles. Illman captioned the photo, “Yuki Tsunoda arrived this morning looking like he was ready to take someone on in the dojo!”

 

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In the end, Norris stuck with Tsunoda as his choice of sparring partner, basing his decision on a technicality. “I can be at an advantage—his arm length is pretty small, so I don’t even think he’ll land a jab,” he explained.

The Briton was then asked if Hearn would be the right man to promote the fight. Given the 45-year-old’s extensive background in combat sports, Norris believed he could be. After all, Hearn has the likes of Anthony Joshua and Canelo Álvarez in his roster.

However, when asked if Hearn was “good at what he does,” Norris cheekily replied, “No comment.”