Following the four-time world champion’s public and private backing of the McLaren F1 star, Lando Norris gave a passionate interview about Sebastian Vettel at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Norris left last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix with a very pessimistic assessment of his performance, even though he finished in third place, keeping him at the top of the drivers’ standings.
After qualifying indicated that he was “not feeling good” in his McLaren, the British driver chastised himself for what he called a “messy race.” Many were shocked by his dejected answer.
However, Vettel recently praised Norris for his honest interview, and described him as a ‘role model’ for vocalising his broad range of emotions and criticised those who labelled it as a weakness.
Norris was asked about Vettel’s support ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, and said to Sky Sports: “I saw what Seb said. Me and Seb talk every now and then, and he texts me always in the times when I need it the most.”
“I really love Seb, he’s always helping me and texting me, sending me little notes that I appreciate a lot. Especially from someone like him, I think it definitely means something.”
Vettel supports Norris after Bahrain frustration
Vettel returned to Saudi Arabia for his all-female karting event Race for Women this weekend, where he was also asked about the ongoing title fight and Norris’ comments in Bahrain.
“I think it’s a positive development because we are normal people,” Vettel said to Reuters.
“We do have normal problems just like everybody else.
“Heroism is fine but it’s also part of the heroism to just talk about your problems and your weakness. I think that’s a great development to see and to witness and, you know, real role models.”
The four-time world champion also stated that Norris’ openness reflected a change of the times, where F1 drivers no longer have to portray themselves as strong or to hate their rivals in order to be successful, heralding Norris as a ‘role model’.
