Relocating to Monaco is a popular move among F1 drivers due to the country being a tax haven. According to his biography, Lando Norris was open about his intentions to do so unlike many other drivers who have made this choice before him. Fortunately for him, the 24-year-old didn’t face any backlash for this decision.
This contrasts sharply compared to Lewis Hamilton’s experience. When Hamilton moved from the UK to Switzerland in 2007 and then to Monaco in 2012, he faced harsh criticism that continues even today.
Per his biography by Ben Hunt, Norris broke the news over lunch with reporters, catching everyone off guard. Up until that point, he had always talked about the advantages of living in the UK, particularly being close to McLaren’s headquarters.
Why Norris moved to Monaco and didn’t receive as much criticism as Lewis Hamilton
Credits: Lando Norris: A Biography by Ben Hunt pic.twitter.com/YiwWVNwPEB
— Aishwary Gaonkar (@aishwary31) August 12, 2024
This allowed him to make use of the team’s simulator, which was quite valuable during his first two seasons. He was also near his friends, family, and favorite golf courses. But during this lunch, the Briton explained that he was making the move to Monaco after the final race in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
“I’m moving to Monaco after [the final race in] Abu Dhabi for the reasons you probably expect,” Norris said. “It’s something that obviously a lot of drivers go to do, and especially with how racing is — I think you’ve seen it with a lot of the drivers, how quickly things can also go downhill.”, he added.
“I still have to look after my life and things for my future, so that’s why I had to make the decision.”
One reason for Norris not getting the same criticism as Hamilton could be the timing of his announcement. The intense rivalry between Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the 2021 championship was dominating the news at the time, so Norris’ move didn’t attract as much attention.
Norris didn’t want to stay anywhere close to Verstappen’s Monaco home
Norris knew that there was inevitably going to be some backlash from the F1 community. However, he was practical enough to realize that this was just one of the things that people do for money.
Monaco is home to nearly half of all Formula 1 drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton
• Max Verstappen
• Charles Leclerc
• Lando Norris
• George Russell
• Valtteri Bottas
• Sergio Perez
• Nico Hulkenberg
• Alex AlbonThis is primarily because of three reasons.
Taxes: Monaco has no… pic.twitter.com/4LOppDNuEw
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 20, 2024
While discussing his relocation, Norris was candid about not wanting to live in the same area as Max Verstappen. Although he had no idea of where Hamilton lived, he ended up living opposite to him.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to be in the same place as Max!’ I don’t know where Lewis is. He’s on the opposite side… I don’t know anybody else over there. But I’m around that area in Fontvieille, which is a nice, quiet place,” Norris added.
