Lando Norris has credited the unwavering support and sacrifices of his family for enabling him to secure his first Formula 1 championship with McLaren in 2025. Reflecting on this achievement, Norris openly discussed the particular strain the racing journey placed on his loved ones, shining a light on the depth of the Norris family sacrifice that fueled his rise to the top of the sport.
A Journey Marked by Years of Dedication and Personal Sacrifice
In the wake of a demanding season, Lando Norris emerged victorious after a tightly contested battle first with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and then Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. His championship crown comes as a culmination of nine years with McLaren, but the challenges extended far beyond the track for his family. Over the course of Norris’s childhood and early racing career, his family was fundamentally shaped by the relentless travel and demands that come with nurturing a young talent in motorsports.
Discussing this with the BBC after his win in Abu Dhabi, Norris reflected on how racing commitments impacted family time, starting from the age of seven or eight. He offered insight into how rarely the family could spend time as one, acknowledging the deep impact on everyone involved.
“We’re still as a family. You want to be together. You want to spend time together. I know that’s something we’ve not really done a lot of since I started when I was like seven, eight years old,”
Norris told BBC.
He described the unique dynamic growing up, with his father frequently accompanying him to races, while his mother stayed home to care for his sisters. The household was often divided by Norris’s training and travel schedule, which sometimes meant only rare visits home each year.
“My dad was taking me everywhere. I spent a lot more time with my dad than I did with my mum. My mum was at home looking after my sisters. So for that whole journey, for all that time away, all the travel, you know, I see my mum 20 days a year, maybe something like that, which is not a lot.”
– Norris, BBC
The Emotional Cost of Chasing a Dream
For Norris, reaching Formula 1 validated the challenges of those formative years. Crossing the finish line as a race winner was an especially poignant moment, making the years of sacrifice “already feel worth it” to him and his family. He emphasized how fleeting those moments with his mother and siblings could feel, and yet, with his historic win, the hardships found new meaning.
“My mum wished she saw me a lot more,”
he continued.
“But for all of those times, it already felt worth it when I got to Formula 1 and I won a race in Formula 1. Certainly winning and having the achievement we did yesterday made everything feel more worth it, all those times away.”
– Norris, BBC
Norris expressed a strong desire to make his family proud, especially after years of collective effort. He pointed to this victory as something achieved by the entire family, not just himself, reinforcing the shared nature of their ambition.
“I think one thing that everyone wants to do is make their parents proud. So the fact I got to do that yesterday, I hope that makes them even more proud,”
he said.
Siblings and the Broader Family Impact
It was not only his parents who felt the effects of his racing career. Norris acknowledged the sacrifices made by his three siblings, highlighting how he could not always be part of their everyday lives. Despite his role as the older brother, the time spent apart was significant, affecting those crucial relationships.
“The sacrifice is also from them,”
he explained.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been maybe the older brother that my sisters would have wanted or would have loved quite as much. I’ve not been able to see them grow up as much.”
– Norris, BBC
He recognized the universal truth that dreams require sacrifices from everyone involved. For Norris, the outcome of their combined perseverance was especially meaningful because his achievements were interwoven with those of his family.
“Everyone has different sacrifices along the way in order to achieve their dreams. I certainly feel like it was all worth it because I still get to have them all there at the end of it, which was yesterday,”
he said.
“We get to celebrate it all together, because my dream was their dream and their dream was my dream – all of it together. So it was our win.”
– Norris, BBC
Looking Forward to a New Era in Formula 1
With the 2025 Formula 1 season now concluded and major regulation changes expected in 2026, Norris is eager to continue building on this momentum with McLaren. The family’s collective journey stands as a testament to their resilience, and their support is set to remain crucial as Lando Norris faces the evolving challenges of the sport’s future.
