Earlier this year, a social media influencer named Bella James made a YouTube video, in which she created a fake Tinder profile for McLaren’s Lando Norris. This made her fairly popular among the F1 community and when future Haas driver Ollie Bearman crossed paths with her, the two decided to engage in an arm wrestling match.
James proposed the battle and even bragged about her strength. Although Bearman was nervous, he accepted the challenge and hoped not the lose.
Before the bout, both Bearman and James had their biceps measured, with the latter’s being 28 centimeters. Bearman initially guessed his own would be smaller at 27 centimeters but was relieved to find out it measured 33.
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Using the extra strength and bicep to his advantage, 19-year-old Bearman racked up a win. However, James was able to trouble him just a little bit, much to her delight. “I’m just so glad I gave you a fight!”
Weeks after her defeat to Bearman, James met up with ex-Red Bull star David Coulthard and challenged him to an arm wrestle match as well. Coulthard’s biceps were bigger (35cm) than Bearman’s, but he went easy on the influencer. Still, he secured a win, and James went 0-2 against F1 drivers.
When James posed on Tinder as Norris
A member of the exclusive app Raya, Norris doesn’t use any other dating platforms. However, he was once (technically) a Tinder user, thanks to James’ idea. She created a fake profile under the McLaren driver’s name to see how successful an F1 driver could be on the app.
Knowing full well that celebrities primarily use only Raya, James did not know if her plan would work. The influencer was apprehensive and feared no one would believe it was actually Norris. Still, she went ahead with it, to find tangible results.
James’ fear came true as most women were able to figure out that it was a ‘catfish’ account. They even sent messages claiming to know what was going on. However, some didn’t know who Norris was and had a normal conversation with him. The conversations lasted a mere three or four texts, with the fake Norris (James) waiting for replies.
