Lando Norris, like other F1 stars, is under the spotlight almost all the time due to the sport’s increased popularity. While this is good for the commercial aspect of F1, drivers need to be more conscious about how they behave in public. In an interview with Lissie Mackintosh, Norris admitted that he is a lot more “careful” now with what he says.
Macintosh asks the McLaren driver whether he “plays up to the cameras” because of how much focus there is on him. To this, Norris said,
“I think you just have to be…especially with the world we live in now, you have to be even more careful with every single thing that you say.”
The Briton went on to say that, even if he says something with the right intention, there will be people who misunderstand his message. There are several sensitive issues around the world, and if popular personalities say something wrong, it leads to a lot of controversy.
For F1 drivers, having the cameras following them all the time is tiring, as Norris admitted. “I’m not the best at describing things in the perfect way,” the Bristol-born driver added.
Saying whatever comes to one’s head, when they are popular athletes could bite them in the future. Some, like Norris, are afraid of what they are going to say. On the other hand, the likes of Max Verstappen don’t care how the media or public interprets his comments – because he is always blunt and speaks his mind.
Max Verstappen is different from Lando Norris in front of the media
Norris is one of the most liked personalities in Formula 1. He may struggle to speak to the media candidly but has done a good job at maintaining a thoroughly pleasing personality. Verstappen, however, has often been portrayed as a bad boy by media and fans.
He says whatever comes to his head, and is very blunt about his comments and emotions. For example, the Dutchman is very unfiltered on the team radio during races. He lashes out at his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase quite often, which a huge portion of the F1 fanbase doesn’t appreciate.
Verstappen, however, doesn’t really care what others think about him and is not a huge fan of media and sponsorship duties. He has often stated that these factors, which F1’s increased popularity brings, could be the reason behind him quitting F1 early.
