Lando Norris gave a damning criticism of the paparazzi ahead of the Formula 1 summer break.
The reigning World Champion is no stranger to the media attention, as one of the most followed drivers on social media, Norris represented a new wave of F1 drivers when he joined the grid in 2019.
He collected a massive fan base through his Twitch streaming and his company Quadrant. Norris became one of the first drivers to capitalise on the growing social media landscape in F1. Building on the blocks put down by Drive to Survive.
However, that came with a downside for Norris. He has an incredibly passionate and dedicated fanbase, and yet he’s also touted as having one of the more parasocial fan bases. Off the track, much of his personal life has been subject to media and fan scrutiny.
Paparazzi have been known to wait outside restaurants or clubs for him and his company to exit. Most recently, he told a tale of being pursued through London for 40 minutes.
Norris’s change in attitude
Norris spoke about the impact of the paparazzi intrusion.
“I am getting a bit older, and I want to be able to go out,” Norris told the Independent newspaper. “That doesn’t mean go out and party – that just means have dinners and get out of the house.
“Last year, I would just game and feel like a loser, being in my own home. That’s not a bad thing. I would keep myself to myself and be disciplined.
“But now, instead of gaming until midnight, I will go out with my friends and have dinner until midnight. I have always enjoyed doing that, but now more of it is seen on social media, and there are more cameras.”
The McLaren driver admitted that he shouldn’t have to limit himself and his wants due to the paparazzi attention around him.
“It is about experiencing life outside the world of Formula 1, which I have the right to do.” He said.
“The next level is paparazzi waiting for you in places or tailing you. I drove to my friend’s house in London, and I knew a paparazzi was just following me the whole way.
“Following me through London for 40 minutes, just waiting to see who I was going to meet and where I was going.”
Feeling ‘violated’
After being pictured with influencers such as Jake Shane and Alix Earle, the Brit has only faced more paparazzi attention and scrutiny. Norris admitted that it’s been in this last year that he’s felt ‘violated’ by the media.
“That’s the first time where I started to feel a bit more violated in my life – that I can’t leave my hotel or house without someone trying to see every move I am doing.”
Now that Norris has the title of World Champion, he acknowledged that there’s a level of public attention that comes with that.
However, the McLaren driver wasn’t ready to give up his privacy and boundaries.
“It doesn’t feel as though private life is private; it is just life now. That is part of being a Formula 1 driver, but there are boundaries, and I won’t accept people following me,” he continued. “That is just odd.”
With the F1 landscape constantly changing as social media integrates itself more and more with the sport, the relationship drivers hold with the media and the fans is constantly shifting.
F1 drivers become celebrities in their own right, and as they continue to navigate the paparazzi, putting up clear boundaries and pushing back is important.
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