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Lando Norris will not hold back on speaking his mind and is 'happy to break' FIA's controversial ban on F1 drivers making political statements.
The FIA has announced that Formula 1's platform cannot be used by drivers to make political statements. Any message that a driver wants to communicate has to be pre-approved by the FIA.
Lando Norris, when asked during the McLaren car launch if he would be willing to break the rule, was coy as he revealed it all depended on the punishment for breaking it. He said:
“I don’t know what the penalty is, if it’s a fine I am probably happy to break it. If it’s a bit more then maybe not but it depends. At certain times there are things you are going to want to say which maybe they won’t allow but I think that will only be a positive thing for whatever that circumstance is.”
Lando Norris feels that there is already quite a bit of pressure built up on the FIA to take back the decision and that is certainly a possibility at this stage. He said:
“I feel like there has been quite a bit of pressure and enough said to maybe make a little bit of a U-turn. F1 have made things clear with what they think is acceptable and what we should be able to do as drivers. That’s what I stand by, we should be able to say what we want and what we believe in."
He added:
"We are not at school, we shouldn’t have to ask about everything. ‘Can we do his? Can we do that?’ We are grown up enough to make smart decisions. Enough drivers have said things now to push back.”
Lando Norris cherishing the extra responsibility at McLaren
Lando Norris is now the senior driver at McLaren and with that comes the responsibility of leading the team. Speaking to the media, the young driver revealed that he was cherishing the added responsibility as he stated:
"I definitely have more responsibility to uphold this season. I am the one that feels a bit more at home. I can use that to push people, the aerodynamicists, the designers."
"I feel happier to go to them and ask them questions, lean on them and push them, having had time to get to know people, getting the truth out of people, pushing them and getting them to find their limit.”
Lando Norris will be teaming up with Oscar Piastri this season as the youngest driver lineup on the F1 grid.
