F1 drivers spend a lot of time with each other, and more often than not, see each other at their worsts. For instance, Lando Norris, in an interview, admitted that he had seen Williams’ Alex Albon shed tears several times in the past.
A reporter asked Norris ‘when and where’ he first drove something, and before the McLaren driver could answer, he told him about Albon‘s story and how he cried the first time he drove a g0-kart around Disneyland.
Norris was not surprised at all. “I see, I see Alex crying a lot,” the Bristol-born driver revealed. Albon is one of his closest friends on the grid, and since they spend a lot of time on the track, it could be possible Norris has seen him cry. However, there are no videos to support his claims.
after seeing how ill alex looked and sounded like in the post race interview… lando is very brave to step into a car with him pic.twitter.com/DrsSDKgqI7
— leo (@formuleo_) July 23, 2023
Albon, although four years older than Norris, made his debut in the same race as him — the 2019 Australian GP. However, Norris’ first drive was not a go-kart like Albon’s. It was a lawnmower.
Norris continued, “I used to go out and cut the grass. Every day. Just so I could drive the lawnmower. But there’s like a weight limit, to start the engine. So I had to go to the gym, and get the 10 kilo dumbbells.”
Norris put them on the seat, to be heavy enough to start the engine. Only then could he drive it around.
The 24-year-old has come a long way since then. Today, he is vying for his first world championship, and is driving for arguably the fastest car on the grid — the McLaren MCL38.