Lando Norris shares a heartfelt message after meeting childhood hero Valentino Rossi

Lando Norris shared his thoughts after meeting his childhood hero, Valentino Rossi. Taking to his official Instagram account, the British driver uploaded pictures with Rossi and summed up his meeting with the MotoGP rider with a heartfelt message.

Norris was in Italy this weekend for the San Marino GP of MotoGP, where he shared some lighthearted moments with MotoGP rider Jorge Martin earlier. There, Norris rode a scooter with the reigning MotoGP champion to arrive at the paddock.

However, in the latest social media post, Norris shared a series of photos and videos and shared his meeting with the most successful MotoGP rider and his childhood hero, Rossi, who has seven MotoGP titles and 89 wins to his name.

Besides Rossi, Norris also met MotoGP riders Francesco Bagnaia and Keegan Palmer. Sharing the post on Instagram, here's what the British driver wrote:

"Whoever said don't meet your heroes deffo never met vale"

Here's Lando Norris' post on the Meta-owned platform:

Marc Marquez of the Ducati Lenovo Team won the 2025 San Marino GP at the Misano World Circuit. He claimed the victory as he finished ahead of Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia Racing and Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing MotoGP.

With this, Marc Marquez picked up 11 wins, reached 512 points, and extended his lead in the 2025 MotoGP world championship. Contender Alex Marquez is in P2 with 330 points. Defending champion Jorge Martin is in 20th place with 34 points.

Lando Norris is in a tight title fight against teammate, Oscar Piastri

After the completion of 16 races and three sprints, Lando Norris trails his teammate, Oscar Piastri, by 31 points in the F1 Drivers' Championship. This means that the British driver needs to extract 32 points more than Piastri in the upcoming eight races and three sprints.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren ahead of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy - Source: Getty

Norris needs to win at least five of the next eight races to overtake Piastri, given the latter finishes in P2 every time. This is a massive task given that Piastri has been clinical throughout the season and was less prone to mistakes.

On the other hand, the rise of Max Verstappen, as seen at the Italian GP at Monza, can also bring in a new dynamic. In a nutshell, the 2025 F1 World Championship is expected to go down to the wire at the Abu Dhabi GP in the UAE.

Oscar Piastri has 324 points to his name with seven points, five pole positions, and 14 podiums, while his teammate, Norris, is in P2 with 293 points. He has five wins, four poles, and 13 podiums. Reigning champion Verstappen is in P3 with 230 points, which includes three wins, five poles, and seven podiums.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over nine years of experience in the field and over 11000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and are supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and has a dream of attending the Indian GP if it ever returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and is now enjoying Verstappen's journey.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (soccer, he means) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and the Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys geopolitics, astronomy, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas