Lando Norris is one of the most popular drivers in F1 today, and when he appears for an open question and answer session, fans turn up in numbers. Ahead of the Australian GP this weekend, Norris and hometown hero Oscar Piastri were part of an event where they were answering questions asked by fans.
Fans were asking questions in turns, and one can only imagine the number of people wanting to engage with the McLaren drivers. A luck young fan got the opportunity to ask Norris a question, but before she could speak, Norris took a cheeky dig at her.
Norris saw her in the crowd from a distance and noticed her wearing a Ferrari t-shirt and a Daniel Ricciardo hat. Jokingly, the 23-year-old showed his disappointment at that, and even said that the fact that she was wearing a Ricciardo hat made ‘it worse’. Unfortunately for Norris, this was before he realized she was a small kid. He immediately regretted making those comments and said he didn’t mean it in a bad way.
Young fan asks Lando Norris about his favorite Aussie animal
Norris appeared to be embarrassed after the young fan stood up and finally got to ask him a question. Nevertheless, she didn’t take Norris joke too seriously as she asked the Bristol-born driver what his favorite Australian animal was.
Following a brief pause and amidst the ‘Aww’ sounds made by the crowd, Norris revealed that his favorite animal from the land down under was the Koala Bear. He had to confirm whether Koala Bears were native to Australia or not, before confirming it as his answer.
the moment lando realised it was a kid I DIED pic.twitter.com/Gh8vRZatok
— ayesh – at ausgp!! (@lordpercevalfan) March 31, 2023
After Norris’ answer, it was his teammate Piastri’s turn to answer the same question. The Melbourne-born driver said that both Koalas and Kangaroos were his favorite animals from his home country.
Norris and McLaren hoping for bounceback in Melbourne
McLaren took a step backward in 2022 after finishing fifth in the constructors’ standings but so far, 2023 looks like it is going to be even worse. Norris finished 17th in both races so far, which for a driver of his caliber, is disastrous to say the least.
Total focus on the task at hand. 👁👊@OKX #AusGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/pl8cQPcw66
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 1, 2023
Piastri was relatively strong in Jeddah but was still unable to break into the points. Norris and Piastri will be hoping for a much better performance at the Australian GP as they look to open their points haul for the year, and get their season underway.