What Is the Secret Behind ‘Normal Guy’ Lando Norris’ Skyrocketing Popularity?

At only 22-years of age, Lando Norris is already the leading man at McLaren. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a major chunk of the credit for McLaren’s revival goes to the young Briton.

While his talent as a race driver is there for everyone to see, there’s more to Norris than simply being an F1 driver. He’s not only a massively followed presence on social media, but Norris is almost unanimously admired, which is rare for those competing at the highest level.

A lot of Lando’s following is down to one of the most rapidly growing forms of social media interaction – streaming.

The McLaren driver basically plays games on a live stream with his fans and responds to their comments. He even referred to himself as, “just a normal guy who plays games and stuff.” 

Speaking about his journey as a ‘streaming celebrity’, Norris said, “Things just happen along the way that you can suddenly do or take advantage of, and opportunities that arise that you never expected.”

He claims he finds it ‘odd’ that so many people want to watch him, “it’s odd, that feeling you get, because people like you for some reason.”

Streaming is a big factor in the skyrocketing popularity of Lando Norris

A few months ago, Lando Norris was voted as the second most popular driver in the world, even surpassing Lewis Hamilton. Norris said, “being the second most popular… there’s a lot of things fans love me for which is different from other drivers.”

However, Norris turned down the comparisons with Lewis and stated that he isn’t close to Hamilton’s level yet.

There’s no doubt that a big chunk of his following is down to his social media presence. And more specifically, his streaming presence. “When I started, I had like 200 viewers or something.” He added, “I was the only driver to do it, still am really.”

If Norris continues growing in the way he is as a driver and continues participating in social media activities like streaming, there’s zero doubt that very soon, Lando Norris will become the most popular F1 driver.

Also Read: F1 Fans React in Amusement to Lando Norris’ Latest Stunt