Lando Norris is labelled as one of the most friendly drivers on the grid in Formula 1, but according to himself that also has to do with the fact that he is not like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fighting for the world title or weekly GP victories. The McLaren driver hopes to stop being 'Mr Nice Guy' in 2022.
Of course, there are rivalries in the premier class of motorsport, but Norris says he still gets on very well with drivers like George Russell, Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc. All of them made the step to Formula 1 at about the same time, they know each other through and through and get on relatively well with each other. Even outside the race weekends, the drivers sometimes play games with each other.
Norris about Mr Nice Guy
Next season the relationship may be different, Norris 'hopes'. "We're still at the point with George and myself and Alex and Charles [where] there's a lot of compliments and we get along and we chat. But things always change when you become competitive against each other," the Briton stated to BBC Sport.
Norris still speaks of a 'friendly' phase at the moment. "We're still in a friendly phase because we never raced each other. But if all of sudden we go into next year and in the middle of the championship it's me and Max and Lewis, I don't think there will be as much Mr Nice Guy. That's just the way it works."