F1 News
Norris speaks on F1 retirement as he reflects on 2024 criticism
Lando Norris faced criticism throughout the 2024 season as he faced the immense pressure of fighting for a championship for the first time in his Formua One career. As the 2025 season soon approaches, the McLaren driver shared his reflections on this scrutiny and his plans for handling criticism in the new season.
Speaking on The Fast and The Curious podcast, Norris shared his views on people criticising situations that they have not experienced, "What I don’t really respect is people who think they know better when they most likely don’t because they weren’t in that situation, they’re not living that moment and just false stuff. Stuff like how the hell has someone come up with that? People don’t call it conspiracy theories nowadays, they call it their facts."
"You learn how to deal with these things. That’s something I probably was affected by a lot more before. You’ve just got to live with it and roll with it. The fact that people are criticising you or supporting you, of course you’re always much happier about the supporters," he continued.
Norris: 'I prefer the criticism than the fake happiness'
The British driver shared how he prefers criticism as a way to grow, "But I know I’m going to get criticised. I criticise myself all the time. I want my team to criticise me. The thing I probably hate the most in the world is the people that try to make me feel good and do it in the wrong way. I prefer the criticism than the fake happiness. That’s just my way of doing things."
Norris hinted at a mindset shift towards the end of last year which he will take with him into the next season. "I clicked last year three quarters of the way through with, 'Okay, now I just crack on with doing my own thing and focus on myself.’ That seemed to work and that’s how I’ll go into this year. I know I’m going to make mistakes and I know I’m not going to have perfect races and those types of things the same as any athlete. I don’t mind what people say because I’m always the first to criticise myself."
In response to the interviewers sharing how much they enjoy watching him race, Norris joked, “This is the thing, you can’t have too much fun, then you’re not taking it seriously… I’ll retire in a couple years.”
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