Lando Norris stands as one of the most prominent younger drivers on the current F1 grid. Leading the McLaren driver lineup at such a young age, many consider Norris to be a future champ as he inches closer and closer to his first-ever race win. The 23-year-old has amassed over 6,900,000 followers on social media owing to his driving skills and his humorous quips when in front of the camera. However, he spoke about a change in social media practices, as per a video posted on McLaren’s official channel.
When on social media, Norris is known for making bold statements to help bring up sensitive topics that not a lot of people from the F1 community talk about. The most prominent of these topics is the mental health discussion, which Norris believes has helped save the lives of some of his followers. Despite often facing criticism and various threats, Norris says he likes to lead the charge on social media as it helps people gain a better perspective on life and even stops them from doing something terrible.
Lando Norris has a new outlook to deal with online negativity
A rookie year is never easy for any driver when it comes to F1. A lot of expectations lie upon one’s shoulders as they go out on the track to compete at the premier level of the sport, with the eyes of millions upon them. It can be a daunting task, and should the rookie fail, the animosity from the fans can become unbearable.
The same happened with Lando Norris back in 2019, and it greatly affected his mental health. Speaking to his performance coach, Jon Malvern, the 23-year-old revealed how he has adopted a new approach to dealing with such negativity while appearing in an interview for McLaren’s official YouTube channel.
“I just see it differently. I care about what I do, but I care less about certain people’s opinions. That’s the most you’ve gotta do. The people who are close to me and around me that know me- I respect their opinion a lot more than I respect someone else’s who knows nothing about me.”
Trying to justify his statements and clear the air over his past comments, Norris mentioned he would never say something that might be against somebody. People might interpret his statements differently, but it is never his intention to hurt anyone with his words. However, the Briton does not spend as much time on social media as he used to, as it helps him maintain his mental well-being.
Norris almost quit social media two years ago
Two seasons into F1 and, the online assault kept getting into Norris’ head. In fact, it kept growing and started targeting his then-girlfriend, Luisinha Oliveira. The abuse kept getting worse, and it reached a point where the McLaren driver thought of quitting all social media platforms entirely. Having brought in a major chunk of the younger audience to the sport, Norris would never have thought the same audience would compel him to think about stepping away from one of the platforms that let him connect with them.
⚠️ | Lando Norris admits the world of social media can be “creepy”.
“I’d say that’s the worst thing… the people who don’t respect your personal life. Honestly, it’s creepy what some people do”.
— formularacers (@formularacers_) November 25, 2021
However, he never had to take such drastic measures, as a “minion” stepped in to take charge of the social media proceedings. Having gotten rid of all social media apps from his phone, a social media manager, whom Norris refers to as his minion, is now responsible for all the posts that go out from his official account on the various platforms where he is active.
