Lando Norris has explained what as-of-yet unaccomplished achievement would mean more to him than winning the Formula 1 World Championship.
The British driver clinched the Drivers’ title last season in a nail-biting final-round showdown in Abu Dhabi, having overturned a big points deficit halfway through the campaign.
Norris struggled earlier in the year with the MCL39, the all-conquering McLaren car that was, for the most part, the class of the field.
But contained within that struggle was a far more personal one – psychologically.
Norris admitted to a need to tackle some mental challenges, and his openness on the issue was widely praised by other drivers and fans.
And with Norris now on TIME Magazine‘s 100 Most Influential People list, as well as winning the World Breakthrough prize at the Laureus Sports Awards, the 26-year-old now has the platform to be an advocate for mental health.
“When I was younger I never knew I’d have the platform to speak about [mental health],” he told The Guardian upon winning his Laureus gong.
“So to realise the amount I can help other people is special. In the longer term that means more than winning a World Championship.”
Norris appeared to reveal that ‘imposter syndrome’ is the particular affliction he has previously suffered with, recounting how he felt during his debut season in 2019.
“There were lots of doubts: ‘Do I deserve to be here? Why am I not as good as these people?’ You feel you’re wasting people’s time … I struggled a lot,” he said.
With Norris now a reigning World Champion, it is clear that anyone with mental health struggles can overcome them and come out on top, and his mission to create more awareness is a noble one.
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