Lando Norris says that the realization that he is a Formula 1 world champion has still not fully sunk in. “But,” it sounds in Melbourne in the run-up to a new season, “there are always those small moments when you think about it.”
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Norris: “Often it is others who remind me of what happened last year. For example, friends I haven’t seen for a while who then say how special it is that you are world champion.” Those reactions help him, in his own words, to better understand the scale of his achievement. “Then you realize again how great it is to have won the title.”
Number 1
For Norris, using number 1 is therefore a logical step. Instead of keeping his regular number, he chooses to wear the starting number that is traditionally reserved for the reigning world champion. “It’s just an opportunity I don’t want to miss,” he says. “I think it would be great to look back in twenty years and see that I was wearing a helmet with number one then.”
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With that, Norris is not only thinking of himself, but also of his team, McLaren F1 Team. The Briton has been driving for the Woking-based team for years and emphasizes that the success is a joint achievement.
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“McLaren hasn’t had a number 1 on the car for a very long time,” he says. “For all the men and women in the team, the mechanics and everyone who works on the car, it is something very special to be allowed to work on a car with number one.”
Although the choice is personal, for Norris it feels above all like a moment he wants to share with the whole team. “It’s a small decision, but it gives me a huge team feeling.”
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