(Motorsport-Total.com) – As the reigning world champion, McLaren driver Lando Norris has to deal not least with intrusive press photographers. The 26-year-old spoke about his experiences with paparazzi in an interview with The Independent.
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“I drove to a friend’s house in London, and I knew that [some of the] paparazzi were following me the entire way,” Norris recounts.
“40 minutes right through London. [He] was just waiting there to see who I meet and where I go.”
“That was the first time in my life,” said the world champion, “that I started to feel [in my privacy] violated – as if I can’t leave my hotel or house without someone following me every step of the way. Private life no longer feels private, it’s just life.”
“That’s part of being a Formula 1 driver,” Norris explains. “But there are limits. And I will not accept people following me. That’s just weird.”
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Especially after his world championship title, this topic is extremely important to the 26-year-old. After all, Norris now consciously tries not to barricade himself in his house anymore but to enjoy his life as much as possible.
“I’m getting older and would like to go out a bit more often,” he explains. “I don’t mean partying somewhere. It just means going out to eat somewhere and getting out of the house. Last year I only played video games and felt like a loser alone at home.”
“That’s not necessarily bad,” Norris says. “I stayed with myself and was extremely disciplined. But instead of gaming until midnight, I now go out with friends until midnight and visit restaurants. I’ve always enjoyed that, but now you see more of it on social media, and cameras are lurking everywhere.”
Nevertheless, Norris emphasizes: “It’s about experiencing a life outside the world of Formula 1, and I have a right to that.”
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