Norris opens up on title win and ‘stupid things’ said about Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Lando Norris is proud to have won the World Championship in “the way” he wanted to win it, not by being “more of that person you probably want” to see at times, a more aggressive driver.

Norris admits that he has said some “stupid things” along the way, about the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but having achieved his dream of winning the Drivers’ Championship, Norris is “proud” of how he got there.

Lando Norris said ‘some things I regret’ en route to F1 champion status

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

When people think of F1 World Champion credentials, characteristics which quickly come to mind are immense speed, of course, but also aggression, and an at-all-costs attitude, someone who is not afraid to ruffle some feathers to get what they want.

Yet, Norris often shies from on-track shenanigans, and was a team player as part of McLaren’s polarising, fair play approach to his and Oscar Piastri’s F1 2025 title battle. Still, it was Norris who emerged as World Champion.

For this reason, Norris find his title win especially fulfilling. He did it his way.

In a honest reflection on his achievement, Norris also alluded to comments which he made previously about the likes of Verstappen and Hamilton, admitting to saying “stupid things” which he regrets, but were part of him being as “genuine” as he can be.

Norris’s comments may refer to past examples where he questioned Verstappen’s driving tactics, while he clapped back at Verstappen’s claim that he would have had the 2025 title wrapped-up no fuss had he been driving the McLaren MCL39. Norris said Verstappen “doesn’t have a clue” on some things, and accused Verstappen’s Red Bull team of “talking nonsense a lot of the time.”

As for the Hamilton comments, Norris most likely is referring to the Hungary 2024 cooldown room, where his “you had a fast car seven years ago…” response to Hamilton, who had been praising McLaren’s pace, raised a few eyebrows.

Discussing his first World Championship win, Norris said: “That’s one of the things that makes me most proud. I feel like I have just managed to win it the way I wanted to win it, which was not by being someone I’m not. Not trying to be as aggressive as Max or as forceful as other champions might have been in the past – whatever it may be.

“I’m happy. I just won it my way. I’m happy I could go out and be myself and win it Lando’s way, as Andrea [Stella, McLaren team principal] would tell me. That certainly makes me happy.

“Could I have gone out and been more of that person you probably want me to be at times? I could have done. I would have been less proud about it in some ways. So, that’s why I’m very happy with myself.

“I kept my cool, I kept to myself, I kept the focus on myself, and I got the most out of how I am.

“And I know at times I say some stupid things, and I say some things about Max, or I might have said some things at times in the past that everyone talks about, about Lewis [Hamilton]. Some things I regret and I wish I could take back and never have come out my mouth.

“But, I honestly believe I give more respect to anyone else than anyone else. I give more respect to Oscar. I give more respect to Max. I try and give as much respect as I can to Lewis. He’s seven-time World Champion. He’s the best driver. You compare him to [Michael] Schumacher, the best driver that’s ever been in Formula 1. I’m not even close to that. I might never be. I dream of those kind of things.

“I dreamed of today, and I’ve managed to achieve one of seven, comparing to him.

“And do I regret some of the comments I might have said in cooldown rooms or whatever it is? Yes. But a lot of those are in the heat of the moment. And by the time I’ve said it, I’ve gone, ‘Why the hell did I just say that?’

“So, I try and be as genuine as I can. I try and always speak the truth. I never try and give you guys false understandings of things. If I think we’re going to win, I’m going say, ‘I think we’re gonna win.’ If I think Red Bull are going to be fast or probably going to be fast, I’m going to say it. I’m trying to honestly always. I have no gain by trying to hide things from you guys.

More on Lando Norris from PlanetF1.com

Maybe now Lando Norris will realise how good he is

‘Only driver who can compete with Verstappen’ named, and it’s not Norris

“And, deep down, do I really hate when you write crap about me? I do. It’s also life, and I’ve learned to live with some of those things more. And I also value that everyone has their own opinions, whether they like me or not or think someone else is better or not, like we just spoke about.

“What I’m happy [about] is that I did things my way this season. I won it in my way, my style of just trying to be a good person and a good team member. And I’m proud about that. No matter what other people want to write about and say about it, no one really knows the truth apart from the people on the inside, in terms of what’s going on.

“And I don’t need to listen to those things. So, as long as I know I’ve done a good job, which I have now proven to myself I have, then that’s the only thing I really need to listen to. Is now, myself and my team. And that’s all I need.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: McLaren secure services of Red Bull strategy chief ahead of schedule