When Lando Norris Was Afraid of Losing to Lawrence Barretto in a Go-Kart Race

Lando Norris is one of F1’s most exciting talents, so a small go-kart venture off-track with a journalist shouldn’t be a daunting task for the McLaren driver. That, however, was not the case when the Briton went up against F1 presenter Lawrence Barretto.

Appearing on the Red Flags Podcast, Barretto discussed the time he went to the karting tracks with Norris. Barretto revealed that they usually are on good terms, but Norris barely spoke to him in the build-up of the race. Barretto then asked Norris for tips since he never drove a go-kart before, but all the McLaren driver said was, “No no, you’ll be fine.”

The hosts of the podcast burst out in laughter, following which Barretto stated, “Basically it was insane. He was genuinely scared to go up against me.”

Barretto knew he wasn’t a good driver and admitted to his inferiority even before the race began. He revealed that he struggled to even get his kart going. But Norris, being as competitive as he is, still wanted to send a message to him.

It shows how ruthless F1 drivers can be, and the fact that they do not want to give up any track position, even when they aren’t suiting up for a Grand Prix weekend. In Norris’ case, he often sets the bar so high himself that he often ends up being self-critical ahead of a race. This has affected him on several occasions.

Lando Norris being self-critical about himself

Many believe that Norris will win the world championship in the future. He has shown his brilliance on several occasions since making his debut in 2019, but his mentality has often been questioned.

When under pressure, Norris appeared to crumble. For example, he was moments away from winning his maiden F1 race in Sochi in 2021. However, his hesitation to pit for wet tires when almost everyone on the grid was took his chance away. Norris did not stop just because he was skeptical about giving up his lead in those closing stages.

LANDO NORRIS WINS THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX!!!!

IT’S A MAIDEN WIN FOR THE @MCLARENF1 DRIVER

SIMPLY STUNNING!!!!!#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/pxGX4LvTNL

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024

Thereafter, on multiple occasions, pundits and former F1 drivers asked Norris to stop being too harsh on himself. Thankfully with time, Norris got there.

Earlier this season, he finally became an F1 race-winner at the 110^th time of asking. It will take the pressure off him, and he will look to make it a more regular habit moving forward.