Lando Norris recalls Michael Schumacher getting in ‘bit of a scrap’ with karting teammate
McLaren's Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Budapest, July 2023.
Karting in his junior days against Mick Schumacher, Lando Norris has recalled the time seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher got into a spat with a teenage karting driver.
Competing in karting from 2008 to 2014, Norris and Schumacher’s son had a fair amount of overlap during their junior days with the Briton left star-struck when he came face-to-face with his rival’s father.
A legend in motorsport with his seven F1 World Championship titles, Schumacher retired from racing at the end of the 2012 season, which freed up even more time for him to watch his son race.
Lando Norris: I remember him having a bit of a scrap with one of my teammates
Attending Mick’s karting events, Norris told Virgin Radio’s Chris Evans that meeting Schumacher was the ‘star-struck’ moment in life.
“I’m gonna have to say it was karting with Mick Schumacher, and therefore Michael at the time,” he said.
“In 2012, 2013 Mick was my competitor, and Michael was always there. Every weekend he went, Michael was there.
“And I guess when you’re like 12 years old, I think seeing someone like Michael was pretty insane.”
It was also rather amusing with Schumacher seemingly one of those protective parents after he got into it with one of Norris’ teammates – although the exact reason for the argument is unknown.
“I remember him having a bit of a scrap with one of my teammates!” recalled the McLaren driver.
“Michael having a go at one of my teammates, who was like 13 at the time or 14 at the time, and getting into quite an argument, which was great to watch!
“So that was very amusing.”
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Zak Brown’s ‘fan moment’ was Ayrton Senna
Joined by McLaren CEO Zak Brown in the interview, the American was also asked for his star-struck moment. That, he says, was seeing never mind meeting Ayrton Senna.
“I didn’t get a chance to meet him but it was Senna,” he said. “This was in ’91 in Spa. He was running in between two motorhomes, and I saw him and went, ‘There’s Senna!’.”
“It was a fan moment for me,” he admitted.
Being star-struck by F1 legends is nothing new for the drivers with Kevin Magnussen telling Motorsport Magazin that “Stirling Moss is my all-time hero” and that he once asked if it would be okay to get his autograph while Alex Albon was in awe when he met Lewis Hamilton.
“For sure I have [been star-struck],” he told F1.com. “I think most of these were when I was a kid. When someone like Lewis, he came to our racetrack and that was kind of it. He was the hotshot back then.”
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