Lando Norris hits out at paparazzi intrusion

Lando Norris says the scrutiny that comes with being Formula 1 world champion has crossed a line, after describing how paparazzi followed him through London for 40 minutes on the way to a friend’s house.

In an interview with The Independent, the McLaren driver said he knew he was being tailed as he drove across the city, with the photographer "just waiting to see who I was going to meet and where I was going."

Norris said the episode marked a turning point in how exposed he now feels away from the track. He said it was "the first time where I started to feel a bit more violated in my life" because "I can't leave my hotel or house without someone trying to see every move I am doing. It doesn't feel as though private life is private, it is just life now."

He acknowledged that attention comes with his status in Formula 1, but said there had to be limits. "That is part of being a Formula One driver, but there are boundaries, and I won't accept people following me," Norris said. "That is just odd."

Norris said the issue has become more pronounced as he has tried to live more normally outside racing. Rather than staying at home and "gaming until midnight," he said he now prefers to go out for dinner with friends and spend time away from Formula 1. "I am getting a bit older and I want to be able to go out," he said, adding that he meant dinners and time out of the house, not partying. He said that shift was about "experiencing life outside the world of Formula One which I have the right to do."

That sensitivity to privacy was visible again after the Hungarian Grand Prix when Norris was asked about his plans for the break. He initially shut the question down, saying, "Oh, this has got nothing to do with anyone," before offering only broad details that he would spend time with friends and family, play golf and padel, and "try to lose a bit of weight."