Lando Norris has said he would tell his younger self to believe in himself more, admitting that the feeling of self-doubt followed him as he climbed the ladder to Formula 1, despite seeing plenty of success along the way.
Speaking at the 2026 Autosport Awards, the world champion was asked what advice he’d give himself if he could go back to the night he won the Autosport BRDC Award – a moment that helped propel him towards his future with McLaren.
“Honestly, I think the main thing would be to believe in myself a little bit more,” Norris said. “I was always quite the opposite. I was never one that jumped up in the morning going, ‘today’s going to be my day, I’m going to achieve everything’. That just wasn’t me. That’s not how I grew up.”
This control over his emotions allowed him to manage his expectations and the pressure that was inevitably going to mount on his shoulders.
“There are pros and cons,” he explained. “I have no expectation. I don’t expect to go out and win every race, which is a good thing. But I still hold myself to a high level. I’ve always had high expectations of myself.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
“I never thought it was possible,” he continued. “From a very early age, I always looked up to the category above me and thought, ‘am I going to be able to beat these bigger, taller, more experienced guys?’ Especially at a younger age,” he laughed.
“Every year I was like, ‘oh, I did it’. I managed to win, went up to the next category and managed to win again. All the way to Formula 2 – and George [Russell] beat me – and then it was like, ‘OK, can I do the same in Formula 1?’”
Making his F1 debut with McLaren in 2019, it’s been a long time coming for the young Briton.
“It took me long enough, but eventually I did it,” he laughed.
Now a world champion, he’s able to look back on his racing career with a new perspective.
“If I could go back and tell little me one thing,” he said, “it would just be to have a bit more belief.”
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