“That’s How Old He Is”: Lando Norris Ruthlessly Mocks Lewis Hamilton Only to Reveal Sincere Respect Moments Later

“He still has a lot of respect and love for McLaren,” said Lando Norris about Lewis Hamilton. “He wants us to do well, which is still a nice thing because it’s where he started his career.” Norris is someone who has no filter. He speaks his mind and doesn’t think twice before doing it. Should he? Ideally, yes, but who are we to dictate what he does? Sometimes, he’ll say things like this, and it’ll make people agree with him. But that no-filter quality of his has landed him in hot water quite often, too. Especially when it comes to drivers like Hamilton. And it looks like he’s done it again.

Lewis Hamilton is undeniably one of the most followed Formula 1 drivers. His fanbase—the LH Army—is as devoted to him as can be. So when Norris says things like, “Lewis complains a lot…” he becomes their number-one enemy. He becomes a backstabber because of all the love Hamilton has shown him, which Norris seemingly doesn’t reciprocate. Although Norris got close to angering the LH Army once again, he quickly made amends.

Lewis Hamilton was Lando Norris’ inspiration

In the build-up to the Las Vegas GP, Lando Norris was part of the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma International Raceway this weekend. To celebrate McLaren’s 60th anniversary, the team showcased a collection of iconic cars from its past. They included Niki Lauda’s championship-winning MP4/2A-1, Ayrton Senna’s MP4/6-10, and Lewis Hamilton’s MP4/23A-05. Norris and McLaren’s IndyCar driver, Pato O’Ward, drove two of them—Lauda and Hamilton’s cars, respectively. After their outing, Norris gave his thoughts on it.

The interviewer asked him what it was like to drive alongside Hamilton’s 2008 McLaren. That was the season the now-seven-time champion won his first title. It was only his second year in the sport, following arguably the best rookie seasons F1 has ever seen. Norris replied, “Yeah, that’s how old he is. He’s doing well for an old guy.” Before he could say anything else to get the LH Army’s blood roaring, he showed his respect for Hamilton.

Norris continued, “It’s amazing. Lewis was a guy I watched on TV growing up. He was the guy I looked at and admired, and now I’m racing against him. It does feel weird, but I have a lot of respect for Lewis. We get on really well together. I love racing him.” The F1 community has been treated to the two of them going against each other quite frequently in the past few seasons. With Hamilton saying things like, “Such a great driver Lando,” and Norris almost always saying that he looks up to Hamilton, it’s clear they have tons of mutual respect.

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Sometimes, though—as established already—Norris does diss Hamilton unknowingly, and he did precisely that earlier this year.

Norris dissed Hamilton’s Mercedes move

After two incredible seasons to start his F1 career, Hamilton didn’t have the same success with McLaren following 2008. He stayed with the team until the 2012 season, amassing only 12 victories. He decided that leaving the team for Mercedes would be his best option. While that did turn out for the better, something Norris said earlier this year caught everyone’s attention and made them think about Hamilton’s move.

At the beginning of the season, McLaren was nowhere. But following an upgrade overhaul, it’s become the second-fastest team on most occasions. When McLaren was still struggling, Norris never wavered from the fact that he wanted to achieve his success with McLaren and McLaren only. He explained, “I think it’s a cooler story to go from where we were a few years ago—a team that was struggling—to fighting back and being that first team to come back from a long way and fight for championships and wins.”

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What do you make of these slight digs that Lando Norris takes at Lewis Hamilton occasionally?