"It's such a crazy thought"- Lando Norris opens up on racing alongside childhood heroes Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton

McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed that it was a crazy thought for him to be racing alongside his childhood heroes, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, in Formula 1 currently. Ever since making his debut in 2019 with the Woking-based outfit, the British driver has been revered for his raw pace on the track and his affable personality off it.

Norris has also gone on to become one of the most popular drivers on the grid, with fans left in awe of his talent on track and his open nature inside the sport. Although the Glastonbury-born native has gained experience over the last couple of years and become a mainstay on the grid, he believed that it was still surreal for him to race in F1.

While on the Quadcast podcast, Lando Norris mentioned that he, on occasion, finds it difficult to believe that he races alongside his childhood heroes, saying:

"Watching Formula 1, Fernando, Lewis, Jenson [Button], all of the coolest races that ever happened, and like wow, that’s so cool watching them. I would wake up at 3 am, 4am to watch some of these races. And now that’s me. Some of these guys are still racing. It’s such a crazy thought.

"That’s what I once never even thought was possible. You still have that little - I was like, 'Oh my god, it’s Fernando!' you know? And the thing is, I’m still - maybe not quite as much like that because I’ve grown a bit - but I’m still like that. I’m still like 'wow, I’m racing Fernando and I’m racing Lewis'. (40:10)

Lando Norris is currently involved in a championship battle for the second season running and trails his teammate and rival Oscar Piastri by 9 points heading into the second half of the season.

Carlos Sainz praises his ex-teammate Lando Norris for his personality trait

Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz stated that he believed that his former McLaren teammate Lando Norris was "very good" at expressing his emotions and has an open personality on and off the track.

While appearing on the Chequered Flag podcast, the Spaniard commented about his friend and said:

“He’s very good at showing himself. That’s a great thing if you’re a Lando fan. You appreciate Lando for that. It’s also another easy way to criticize Lando, because he will open up to the media, to people more than any other driver on the grid."

Lando Norris wears his heart on his sleeve and is often too expressive about his emotions on the track, which many in the media have criticized him for during a championship battle. However, the Brit has refused to change his personality trait and has focused his energies on improving his performances on the track.