F1 star Lando Norris still adjusting to fame as McLaren driver admits he gets nervous in front of big crowds
LANDO NORRIS is ready to take centre stage at the British Grand Prix as he enjoys his Glastonbury moment.
The Brit, 22, grew up in the Somerset town but has never been to its famous music festival.
Norris has had a stellar rise during his 3½ years in Formula One.
And while he is yet to win a race, he has attracted an army of fans from across the world.
However, the McLaren driver admits he still gets nervous in front of big crowds — and will do at the sold-out British GP in two weeks’ time, where he will be presented on the stage at the Fan Zone.
Ahead of the Canadian GP in Montreal, Norris said: “To have one race a year where it is over the top, you have to be careful and try not to do too much to take the focus off why you are there.
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“But having that experience of so many fans — like the fan stage last year with everyone chanting your name — it is a special feeling.
“I never expected that growing up. I’ve never been one for festivals and stuff like that, so I am not confident standing up there.
“I’m nervous but the atmosphere and the feeling you get is pretty special.
“There are thousands of people all there supporting me. That is such a cool thing.”
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Norris is not only backed by the Brits, he gets a lot of support at most of the races, especially in Europe.
It is unique for a driver to hold a place as everyone’s second favourite and he would certainly be THE most popular world champion should he ever win.
But for the time being he says he will strive to continue to keep growing his fan base.
He added: “I do seem to have a lot of fans everywhere I go, whether it is in Italy or Spain.
“What has helped is that I am not in a team that is fighting for a championship straight away.
“So I came into it a bit more with everyone happy supporting someone who’s not winning. Maybe it’s cooler than coming in straight away in a car that’s winning, because they don’t want to be glory supporters.
“But also I am hoping it is because I am just a normal guy and someone they can relate to.
“I will do my best to stay as I am and hope everyone continues to support me, because I want that. The more the merrier.”
Meanwhile, Norris says he has no issues with McLaren using team orders in Baku last week to keep team-mate Daniel Ricciardo ahead of him.
While he was initially annoyed with the instruction, he says his team acted in the right way.
Norris — who still holds a 35-point advantage over the Australian — said: “It’s eighth or ninth, either way around, I don’t really mind.
“I’m only here to win races and win a championship. I’m not going to win the championship this year.
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“Instead it’s just about making sure we can get the most points for the constructors.
“The more we can, the more money we get and the easier it is for the team to spend it on good things.”