Is Norris too nice to be a World Champion? 'I can be more of an idiot'
F1 News
Lando Norris has snapped back at claims he is being 'too nice' to be a World Champion. The British driver, who has been battling with Max Verstappen in recent races, shrugs off the doubters and vows to continue with his own actions.
Norris is now second in the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship after 12 rounds but still has an 84-point deficit to Verstappen. Still, McLaren have made significant progress over the last 12 months, and warning shots have been made for 2025 if nothing comes of it in 2024.
Norris featured in a fierce battle with three-time world champion and good friend Verstappen in Austria, ending in a crash. The McLaren driver was furious after the race but calmed down a week later after speaking to the Dutchman. This change led to many people within the Formula 1 world pondering whether Norris was too nice to be a World Champion. After Silverstone, Ralf Schumacher criticised Norris.
Is Norris too nice to be a World Champion?
"I don't care what people say from that side. I'm a nice guy and I try to be respectful in every way that I can, that is absolutely zero relevance for what happens," Norris snapped back in a conversation with GPblog and others in Hungary.
"As much as people want to just come up with their own things and talk about these things, what happened 10 years ago and 15 and 20 years ago is completely different to now. If I want to, I can be a lot more of a dick and act like an idiot and have that persona and make people think that but I don't need to. I want to make jokes and have fun and laugh and I don't care what people say from that side. I'm just enjoying my life. I do what I have to do to win," Norris concluded.
Norris will once again try to get the better of Verstappen in Hungary after seeing his two British counterparts, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, win the last two Grands Prix in Formula 1.