(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lando Norris emphasizes that achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a Formula 1 world champion has not changed him as a person, although it has given him a sense of calm and confidence in the car.
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The McLaren driver reflects on his title success during an interview with Sky, which was filmed after he announced his contract extension with the Woking team until the end of 2030.
When asked how he thinks winning the championship has changed him, Norris replies: “It hasn’t, which is exactly what I want. I don’t want it to change me. I don’t want it to change who I am.”
“I think I can just walk around with the feeling that I have achieved something that very few people in the world get to achieve, and I know I have fulfilled my childhood dream,” Norris says.
“That’s something not many people get to achieve. So I know how lucky I am. I know how lucky I am to be at McLaren.” What winning the championship has changed for the 26-year-old is his attitude outside the car.
“There is an element that I know people have high expectations, and I have high expectations of myself, and that’s where it all starts,” he says about the pressure of the current championship season.
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“But there is also the element that we had such a difficult start to the year. We had very, very bad luck with many things. We knew we would start with a deficit,” he emphasizes.
“[Fighting for the championship] certainly wasn’t the first thought we had. The fact that it has become a thought is a pretty great thing,” he says about McLaren’s recent progress.
“So I am very relaxed because I am in the position to be the chaser. But every time I am on track, I don’t necessarily feel different because of that. Every time I put my helmet on, I still want to win.”
“I want to be there today. I want to be on pole position. And that is the same mentality I have always had,” he clarifies and explains: “It changes my attitude, especially when I am outside the car.”
“But I wouldn’t say it changes anything when I am in the car, because when I am in it, it’s always 100 percent. It’s always full throttle,” he emphasizes and adds: “I want to be number one, no matter what situation I am in.”
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