“I did make some friends, but not best friends”: McLaren star Lando Norris opens up about the lonely life of an F1 driver

Lando Norris recently spoke about how he grew up amid loneliness. The McLaren driver might be basking in fame coming into 2024, it was not all hunky dory for him while he was maturing up in life.

Norris was born in Bristol on November 13, 1999, to one of his country's wealthiest parents. However, that did not bring him enough accompaniment. He later moved to Glastonbury from Bristol for educational purposes and to pursue his racing career.

Norris started his professional racing career at seven and there was no looking back for the young, promising, and upcoming F1 driver. As he matured as a driver, his personal life was a different story.

Soon after the Briton moved to a new place, he joined the school where he did not know anybody. On top of that, he was late to join. Recalling the event, Norris said to The Telegraph recently,

"I don't really know anyone here, and I'm late. And then I'm there for three days and then I'm done again. I just never really settled."

When asked if he was able to be friends with anyone, Norris responded, "Obviously I did make some friends, but not best friends. At boarding school, people stay with their mates during holidays or weekends."

"But I never did any of that. I just traveled to races, came back, went to school, went home, got on the sim [racing simulator]. I missed that growing-up period. I never went out. Never partied. And then by the time I was 18, I was almost in Formula 1."

Lando Norris currently resides in Monaco, along with fellow F1 drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and his revered friend on the grid, Max Verstappen.

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Lando Norris' friendship with Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Lando Norris of McLaren talk in parc ferme. Courtesy: Getty Images

While the F1 world isn't a friendly environment when the drivers go out on track, that does not mean two drivers cannot be friends. Yes, they very much can and Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are two bright examples.

Verstappen and Norris get on well with each other and often play sim racing together. Besides this, they attend parties after the race and during the off-season. When asked about his friendship with Norris, Verstappen said (via Daily Mail),

"I get on really well with Lando because he is just himself and normal. He is my best friend on the grid. He loves what he is doing. I could see clearly from years ago in go-karting that he was very quick - though we never raced against each other. Everything just came to him really naturally as a driver."

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are all set to go against each other in Austria during the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, followed by the main race Qualifying later in the day.