Breaking news
Formula 1
Norris feels he was "too jokey" at times in 2019
McLaren's Lando Norris says he was "too jokey" at times in his rookie Formula 1 season and needs to find a better compromise with more focus in his sophomore year.
Jack Benyon Jonathan Noble
Published: Jan 1, 2020, 9:16 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Norris impressed in his first F1 season, although his points total of 49 and 11th place in the championship doesn't reflect how closely he ran his teammate Carlos Sainz, who was 47 points ahead in sixth.
Norris and Sainz have shaken up F1 with their bond off the track, while Norris's social media presence in particular has led to a huge fanbase early in his career.
It has also given F1 a boost at a time the championship is aiming to appeal to new and younger audiences, tapping into Norris's popularity with its own social media channels.
Despite acknowledging that he doesn't want to change as a person, Norris says there were times where he should have focused more in 2019.
"In some ways I think I've been almost been too relaxed, and had too much fun," Norris told Motorsport.com. "When it's become more serious, I haven't focused as much as I should do and so on, and worked on as many areas as I should do, I think I started to take [it] a little bit for granted.
"It's been good and I've been able to have fun in my first season, I've not just come in and been surrounded by too many serious things and people. At the same time I think that's also helped in my ability to work on several things and improve as a driver.
"Maybe sometimes I've pushed it a bit too much in terms of making it too jokey, and not focusing as much as I should.
"There's a compromise, I still just want to have fun sometimes, wear my own jumper [instead of McLaren team gear] and things like that."
Read Also:
- Sainz says there is "nowhere" to look beyond McLaren for 2021
- How Sainz's "Smooth Operator" running joke came about
- 2019 tech verdict: McLaren on the road to recovery
As well as Sainz, Norris struck up a strong rapport with Daniel Ricciardo in 2019, the pair playing pranks and joking at press conferences at multiple races this season.
When asked if Ricciardo showed that it was OK for F1 drivers to show a fun side, Norris replied: "Yeah, but at the same time he's in his whatever [ninth] year of F1 and in his very few years of F1 I don't think he was as jokey and fun with everything compared to what he is now.
"Not because he wasn't [fun], but because he took it seriously and had to prove what he could do and then he was able to be more himself.
"I have to make sure I don't let people use what I do and who I am as an excuse - 'it's his first year and he doesn't take it too seriously'.
"Over time maybe I'll become more relaxed like him but I think I still have to look more serious from the outside sometimes than I'd want to be, just so people don't use things that aren't true as excuses."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Top Stories of 2019, #1: F1's 2021 vision dominates horizon
Next article Alfa Romeo F1 team rebranded as Kubica joins in reserve role
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jack Benyon
Aitken, Samaia make up Campos' F2 line-up
FIA F2
FIA F2
Aitken, Samaia make up Campos' F2 line-up
DiBenedetto intends to “turn heads” with Wood Brothers
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
DiBenedetto intends to “turn heads” with Wood Brothers
Tanak "learned a very good lesson" from Monte crash
WRC
WRC
Tanak "learned a very good lesson" from Monte crash
More from
Lando Norris
Why McLaren cannot fix its F1 car handling until 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
14 h
Why McLaren cannot fix its F1 car handling until 2027
Andrea Stella praises Lando Norris for reaction to Singapore GP sprint clash
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Andrea Stella praises Lando Norris for reaction to Singapore GP sprint clash
More from
McLaren
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Lando Norris: ‘I owe everyone at McLaren an apology” for Oscar Piastri clash
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Lando Norris: ‘I owe everyone at McLaren an apology” for Oscar Piastri clash
Latest news
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
1 h
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
4 h
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
4 h
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 5 h
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe