Lando Norris has hinted that he might follow in the footsteps of Nico Rosberg and retire after securing his first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship title, a move he jestingly suggested would fulfil his life’s ambition. The Briton has been engaged in an intense competition with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri throughout the season, both vying for their first championship win.
Returning from the sport’s summer hiatus, Norris finds himself nine points behind the Australian, despite having won three out of the last four races. With 10 rounds left in the championship, including this weekend’s face-off in Zandvoort, Norris concedes that the race for the title now feels “real”. Iconic German driver Nico Rosberg famously retired from the sport after winning a heated title battle against Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in 2016.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton spoke this weekend about trying to rediscover the joy of driving in Formula One following a challenging debut season with Ferrari.
“For Lewis, he’s won so much,” Norris commented. “He probably has achieved the title of being one of the best ever in Formula One. Especially if you’re now not winning, it’s hard to…
“I’m enjoying this season a lot more now because I’m winning – than the last few seasons when we were not winning. That’s just because you want success and you want to be on top. It’s better for everyone in any sport you ever do.
“You’re always going to be happier when you’re winning than when you’re not. I think it’s hard to do when you’re not winning. That’s why probably sometimes it’s good to go out when you’ve won, like Nico.”
When pressed on whether he might consider retirement should he claim the championship this season, the 25-year-old responded: “No, I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe. I might not be here next year. You never know.”
Norris has utilised the summer break, attempting to escape the pressure of the title battle. He dedicated a significant portion of it to the golf course, explaining: “For me, anyway, it’s really about trying to forget that I drive. Try to think I’m a golfer and really just take my mind completely away from it.”
Norris drew parallels with Rory McIlroy’s confession that he battled for drive after finally securing his elusive Masters victory to complete the career grand slam this season.
“Rory said it after winning the Masters. His life goal was to achieve that. That can be it for some people,” the McLaren driver continued. “When you achieve your life goal, then you’re like ‘well, I’ve worked for a number of years to try and achieve a Masters win’.
“Then you feel like you don’t enjoy some of the other things maybe as much.” Norris has emerged from the summer hiatus determined and prepared for the quest to become world champion.
“It feels real, like you’re actually fighting for a championship, which is a cool feeling, because it’s my first,” he concluded. “Yeah, it feels pretty special. You also know every single weekend is important, it means a lot.”
