As one of the brightest stars on the Formula One grid, the 22-year-old from Bristol continues to stamp his authority on the racing world, but there’s more to Lando Norris than just his racing prowess. Let’s explore some lesser-known facts now!
While Lando Norris’s exploits on the track may be well known, his personal life, hobbies, opinions, and family life are kept relatively quiet. Therefore, the 42 facts below are meant to showcase the lesser-known side of one of Formula One’s biggest stars.
With a career spanning over 15 years since his success with karting at seven years of age, Lando Norris has built a name for himself both on and off the track. Let’s look at some of these lesser-known facts now.
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1. Are Lando Norris’s Parents Rich?
Although Lando Norris’s parents aren’t the wealthiest family of the current Formula One drivers on the grid, they are still are extremely wealthy, with an estimated net worth of $250 million!
While it’s uncertain what his mother, Cisca Norris does for a living, it is widely known that his family’s fortunes are a result of his father’s successful business ventures (see below for details.)
2. Does Lando Norris Have Any Siblings?
Lando Norris is the second oldest of four siblings, with an older brother Oliver Norris and two younger sisters, Flo and Cisca Norris.
While not much is known about his younger sisters, his older brother Oliver was a competitive kart racer between 2008 and 2014.
While he may not have had the karting success of his younger brother, Oliver Norris did record two podiums finishes, with both 3rd place finishes coming in 2012 and 2013 at 41° Trofeo Delle Industrie – KF3 and 42° Trofeo Delle Industrie – KF2 respectfully.
3. What Does Lando Norris’s Father Do?
Lando Norris is the son of Adam Norris, a 47-year old retired pensions fund manager and investor from Bristol, United Kingdom.
As the CEO of Horatio Investments, along with his other business ventures, Adam Norris has amassed a substantial amount of money and is recognized as one of the richest people in Bristol, in turn making him the 501st richest person in the country!
4. Is Lando Norris Mixed Race?
While Lando Norris is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Belgium, having a British father and Belgium mother, he would not be said to be “mixed race” in the traditional sense and use of the term in the United States of America and most other countries.
5. Who Is Lando Norris Named After?
While there were rumors that Lando Norris was named after Lando Calrissian from the popular sci-fi series Star Wars, Lando Norris has denied these rumors:
“It has got nothing to do with Star Wars. My mum [Cisca Norris] just came up with it and she doesn’t have a clue what Star Wars is.”
While the origin of the name is unknown, it’s believed to derive from Mediterranean dialect, namely Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian and is believed to loosely translate to “renowned or famous land” in English.
6. What Is Lando Norris’s Full Name?
Lando Norris does not appear to have any middle names, nor is “Lando” short for a similar name such as Orlando or Rolando, meaning his full name is just Lando Norris.
7. Where Was Lando Norris Born?
Lando Norris was born on the 13th of November 1999 in Bristol, England, United Kingdom, making him a Scorpio as per the Western Zodiac.
8. What Is Lando Norris’s Accent?
Despite being born and grown up in Bristol, United Kingdom, his British-Belgian dual citizenship means Lando Norris’s accent doesn’t particularly conform to either dialect.
Consequently, his accent has been described as being that of an upper-class British accent and an ambiguous mainland European/Mediterranean accent.
9. Where Does Lando Norris Live?
While Lando Norris currently lives in Surrey, United Kingdom, he has expressed an interest in Monte Carlo in Monaco ahead of the 2022 Formula One season.
While there has been some pushback from both him and his fan base regarding the move, given Surrey’s close proximity to McLaren’s headquarters, Lando Norris has admitted that the move is financially motivated.
In doing so, Lando Norris will join the likes of many of his Formula One compatriots, including fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton and McLaren teammate Daniel Riccardo.
10. Where Did Lando Norris Go To School?
Lando Norris went to school at Millfield School in Street, Somerset, England, United Kingdom. Although he left school without taking his GSCEs, he did have a private tutor teach him mathematics and physics.
11. Did Lando Norris Go To College?
Although Lando Norris did not attend higher education at a College or University, he was a member of McLaren’s Young Driver Programme (an academy akin to other Formula academies, such as Ferrari’s Driver Academy.)
12. Are Lando Norris And Carlos Sainz Friends?
Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris were teammates with McLaren during the 2019 and 2020 seasons; however, Carlos Saiz has subsequently moved to McLaren’s rival team Ferrari.
Despite the fierce rivalry between the two teams and former teammates, both Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris have said they still speak on occasion, and Carlos Sainz’s move to Ferrari hasn’t had an effect on their relationship.
Off the racing track, the two young drivers occasionally play golf together. Although some social media comments regarding their golf games have been misunderstood as inflammatory, they are generally well-meaning and speak to the competitive nature of the two drivers on the golf course.
13. Are Lando Norris And Max Verstappen Friends?
While Lando Norris and Max Verstappen may race for different Formula, One teams, they have become good friends through online simulation racing as members of Team Redline, where they were crowned champions at the iRacing Spa 24 Hours event.
Although it may seem odd to have two competing Formula One drivers on the same team, simulation racing encourages this, as it is a fantastic way for young drivers to connect over a common interest outside of the competitive realm of Formula One.
Max Verstappen has gone on record to say that prior to simulation racing, he didn’t really know Lando Norris but admitted the pair had become close friends during the off-season as a result of their pairing with Team Redline.
14. Are Lando Norris And Charles Leclerc Friends?
Despite Charles Leclerc identifying the McLaren drivers as his fiercest rivals, he has gone on record to say that he continues to have a close friendship with the drivers he raced against before entering Formula One.
Those drivers are Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Lando Norris.
15. Is Lando Norris A Pay Driver?
Although Lando Norris’s career throughout motorsport has been funded by a wealthy family, he is not considered a “pay driver.”
This is because, despite his family’s wealth and potential for sponsorship opportunities, Lando Norris was assigned to the McLaren Young Driver Programme on merit and draws a salary from his Formula One performances.
That’s not to say pay drivers are inherently good or bad, as many pay drivers have gone on to become legends of the racing world, but simply that his family’s wealth was not a primary factor in his selection for the McLaren Formula One team.
16. Is Lando Norris A Good Driver?
As will be discussed below, Lando Norris is one of the most promising young drivers on the Formula One grid, having a successful racing career across the karting championships, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, and Formula One.
While his career in Formula One is only just beginning, his pedigree across the other divisions includes numerous podiums, race wins, and championship titles, making him one of the best young drivers on the Formula One grid.
17. Can Lando Norris Speak French?
Although Lando Norris is believed to be conversational in French, he is not fluent in the language.
18. Can Lando Norris Speak Dutch?
Although Lando Norris is believed to be conversational in Dutch, he is not fluent in the language.
19. Can Lando Norris Speak Flemish?
Although Lando Norris is believed to be conversational in Flemish, he is not fluent in the language.
20. Can Lando Norris Drive A Bus?
As part of a promotion for McLaren, SkySportsF1 wrote a news story claiming that the chauffeur to McLaren’s Headquarters was via a bus driven by Lando Norris.
While it is uncertain whether this was real or just a publicity stunt, Lando Norris has driven busses in simulations, such as on his gaming channels, which suggests he has some knowledge on how to operate one.
21. Does Lando Norris Stream Online?
Lando Norris streams online gaming and “slice of life” content on his YouTube and Twitch channels (Lando Norris and landonorris respectfully.)
22. What Is Lando Norris Twitch Channel?
As mentioned above, Lando Norris has a dedicated gaming channel on Twitch called landonorris with over 1.2 million followers.
While the majority of his content is simulation racing, he does sometimes post content from other popular videogames such as Player Unknown Battlegrounds.
23. Is Lando Norris In Drive To Survive?
Lando Norris appeared in seasons 1 and 3 of Netflix’s Drive To Survive in 2019 and 2021, respectfully. It is rumored he will also appear in season 4, due to be released in March of 2022.
24. Did Lando Norris Win A Formula 3 Championship?
Following his signing with Carlin and his full-time commitment to Formula 3 in 2017, Lando Norris won the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with 20 podiums, 8 pole positions, and 9 wins.
Consequently, Lando Norris comfortably clenched his fifth championship title in four years of competitive racing, with two races to spare.
He further competed at the 2017 Macau Grand Prix, where he finished second.
25. Did Lando Norris Win A Formula 2 Championship?
Following his Formula 3 success in 2017, Lando Norris graduated to the FIA Formula 2 Championship on a full-time basis with Carlin in 2018.
Lando Norris was the runner-up champion of the FIA Formula 2 Championship with 9 podiums, 1 pole position, and 1 race win to end the season on 219 points, losing out to fellow Briton George Russell by 68 points.
26. How Did Lando Norris Get Into F1?
Although Lando Norris was encouraged from an early age to compete in motorsport, along with financial backing from his father, his graduation into Formula One came off the back of his performances in Karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2.
Following his success throughout his junior career, Lando Norris was enlisted in the McLaren Young Drivers Programme and became the official test and reserve driver for the 2018 season.
In 2019, McLaren promoted Lando Norris as one of their official drivers for the 2019 Formula One World Championship.
27. Has Lando Norris Gotten An F1 Podium?
Lando Norris achieved his first Formula One podium driving for McLaren at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, coming in at a second place and setting the fastest lap of the race, making him the third-youngest driver to achieve a Formula One podium in history.
Lando Norris followed on from his 2020 success in 2021 with 4 Formula One podium driving for McLaren.
28. Has Lando Norris Ever Won An F1 Race?
Despite multiple races wins in his racing career and having recorded five podium finishes and one pole position in Formula One, Lando Norris has yet to win a race in Formula One at the time of writing.
However, he did contribute significantly to McLaren’s first Formula One race in nearly nine years, when he helped teammate Daniel Riccardo win the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
29. Did Lando Norris Get Covid?
While on holiday in Dubai, Lando Norris contracted Covid-19 on the 5th of January 2021, leading to a period of self-isolation for 14-days in his hotel room.
Fortunately, his symptoms were not severe, and he was able to resume training and racing upon completion of his isolation period.
30. Does Lando Norris Wear Glasses?
Lando Norris has been seen sporting prescription glasses on his gaming streams and in public.
While it may seem unusual for a professional Formula One driver to not have 20-20 vision, both Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly wear glasses, while there are believed to be other drivers on the grid that wear contact lenses.
It’s unknown if Lando Norris or any of the other drivers on the grid use contact lenses or prescription visors while racing.
31. Did Lando Norris Get His Watch Back?
Following a mugging outside Wembley stadium after the 2020 Euro Finals, Lando Norris had his £40,000 watch stolen by a group of unknown assailants.
The mugging was believed to result from unrest at the stadium following England’s loss in the final and the lack of security at the venue.
Although Lando Norris was seen sporting a new watch shortly after the incident, no arrests have been made as of the time of writing, and the stolen watch has not been recovered or returned.
32. Does Lando Norris Have A Tattoo?
While Lando Norris does not have any tattoos, he has expressed interest in getting one at a later stage in his life.
33. What Does Lando Norris Drive?
As part of sponsorships deals, endorsements, and his own purchases, Lando Norris is believed to have an extensive car collection:
- Volkswagen Golf,
- Mini Cooper D,
- Renault Clio RS,
- Renault Megane RS,
- McLaren 570S Coupe,
Since his signing with McLaren, Lando Norris has tested or raced the following cars:
- McLaren Elva,
- McLaren MCL33,
- McLaren MCL34,
- McLaren MCL35,
- McLaren MCL35M.
34. How Long Is Lando Norris’s Contract?
During his four years at McLaren, Lando Norris has clearly impressed the team, as is evident by the signing of a new contract with the McLaren Formula One team in 2021 till the end of the 2023 season.
The significance of this contract cannot be understated, as it means Lando Norris’s contract will run parallel to senior driver and McLaren teammate Daniel Riccardo for the foreseeable future!
35. What Is Lando Norris’s Salary?
While the salaries for McLaren’s drivers for the 2022 season have not been disclosed, Lando Norris earned $5 000 000 with McLaren for the 2021 season (excluding any performance bonuses he may have earned for his four podiums and pole position.)
Despite being a respectable salary, it places Lando Norris tied for 12th position on the grid with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, while remaining $10 000 000 adrift of his teammate and senior McLaren driver, Daniel Ricciardo.
However, rumors suggest that Lando Norris’s contract for 2022 may exceed $6 000 000 in acknowledgment of his performances and his contract extension with McLaren.
36. What Is Lando Norris’s Net Worth?
While Lando Norris’s net worth is not publically known, it is safe to assume that it is upwards of $10/20 million due to: his 4 years with Mclaren, his contract extension, his personal business ventures such as Twitch/Quadrant, and family financial support.
37. Who Is Lando Norris Race Engineer?
Lando Norris’s race engineer is fellow Briton William Joseph, with the duo being known for their candid radio conversations and witty banter.
William Joseph completed his Master’s in Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering at the University of Cambridge before being appointed as a design engineer for McLaren in 2006.
During his time as a design engineer for McLaren, he worked on optimizing carbon wishbones, brake ducts, and damper units. In 2011, William Joseph shifted his focus to racing simulators.
After his 6 month tenure as a simulator test engineer, William Joseph was appointed as a race engineer for McLaren’s Formula One team worked alongside Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, Sergio Perez, and Fernando Alonso through the years.
In 2019, William Joseph was appointed as the race engineer for Lando Norris, with the duo expected to continue their partnership over the course of Lando Norris’s contract extension into 2023.
38. Who Is Lando Norris’s Manager?
Lando Norris’s PR manager is Charlotte Sefton.
Charlotte Sefton began her career McLaren career in 2014 as a PR office, after being employed as an account executive at Automotive PR and HPS Jardine between 2011 and 2014.
Having been appointed as Formula One Communications Manager in 2021, Charlotte Sefton has remained a central media figure for McLaren.
Since being appointed as Lando Norris’s PR manager in 2019, the fellow Britons have struck up a friendship, as is evident by their interactions through various media such as television interviews and social media posts.
39. Why Does Lando Norris Race Under Number 4?
Despite Lando Norris racing under various numbers during his karting career (numbers 31, 11, and 46 respectfully), the young McLaren driver opted for the number 4 upon signing with McLaren in 2019.
The reason being is that before competing in karting, Lando Norris was considering a career in motorcycling and continues to have a love for the sport, and the Moto GP, with his favorite racer and driver being Valentino Rossi.
However, while Valentino Rossi sported the number 46 during his 21 years in Moto GP (hence the use of the number 46 during Lando Norris’s earlier career), he didn’t want to copy his racing idol verbatim.
Therefore Lando Norris decided to drop the number 6 from 46, making his current number he races under the number 4.
Curiously, the number 4 seems to have been a perfect choice, as it contributed to Lando Norris’s online presence, particularly his social media presence on Twitter with the hashtag: #L4ndo being used as an official McLaren account.
40. Is Lando Norris Religious?
Although Lando Norris has not publically stated his faith, it’s believed he and his family members are Christian, although the denomination remains unknown.
41. Is Lando Norris In A Relationship?
As per a post on Lando Norris’s official Instagram page in January of 2022, it is believed that Lando Norris is in a relationship with Luisinha Oliveira, a 22-year old Portuguese model.
With Carlos Sainz’s “it’s official” comment suggesting the couple have been dating for some time, but that both have opted to keep the relationship out of the public eye for an extended period of time.
42. Are Lando Norris And Chuck Norris Related?
American movie star and martial artist Chuck Norris is not related to Lando Norris.
Conclusion
Having signed an extension to his contract with Mclaren for the 2022 season and beyond, there’s no doubt there will be even more excitement and news from Lando Norris; for years to come!
References
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