British Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has revealed that football icon David Beckham was among the numerous high-profile figures who sent him congratulatory messages following his historic title triumph. The 25-year-old McLaren driver made history last December by clinching the F1 championship, ending Max Verstappen's run of four consecutive crowns to become Britain's first drivers' champion since Lewis Hamilton.
A Flood of Congratulations
Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast as he resumes his media commitments ahead of the new season, Norris opened up about the overwhelming number of messages he received after his championship victory. When questioned about the communications, he confessed: "Honestly, I've not read half of them! I have so many that I've not even looked at. I need to, but it takes quite a while. I have probably replied to half of them."
"So, I've still got four days of trying to just go through every single one, whether it's on Instagram or on WhatsApp or something, but there's just a lot of amazing people. There's a lot of people from different sports."
"Whether they're incredible at the sport, like one of the best, or they're people that I've watched growing up, young people, old people. When you see something like that, the amount of support you get or just congratulations and respect is something that I admire a lot. It's a beautiful thing. But I do apologise to anyone that I've not responded to yet."
Beckham's Personal Touch
When specifically asked if football legend David Beckham had been in touch, Norris revealed: "We speak every now and then about different things. He did send me a message. David is always great. He's in the garage every now and then in Bahrain, Qatar, and a few different places. He's a cool guy, so it's always nice when his name pops up for sure."
For football fans, Beckham's name remains synonymous with the iconic number seven he wore during his illustrious career with England, Manchester United, and Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Norris has built his reputation in F1 with the number four prominently displayed on his car, even incorporating it into his personal brand 'LN4'.
Embracing the Number One
However, this season marks a significant change for the champion driver. As the reigning world champion, Norris is entitled to use the prestigious number one on his car, and he has decided to embrace this tradition. He explained his reasoning behind this decision: "It's tradition, it's there for a reason. It's there because you can go and try grab it and you can work hard to try and get it. All of us as a team that gets to have a role in McLaren, or my car, will get to wear that with pride."
"It's all my mechanics, my engineers, everyone that's part of McLaren gets to have that acknowledgement too. So, it's not for me, it's for them as well. It's their pride, knowing that they put a lot of work and effort into everything that they can also go, 'We are number one'. It's not as cool when you say, 'We are number four', so they will be even happier than I am!"
Post-Championship Activities
After celebrating his championship victory into the early hours in Abu Dhabi, Norris demonstrated his dedication by returning to the track just days later for post-season testing. The McLaren star then enjoyed a well-deserved winter break away from the spotlight before making his return to action at last week's pre-season shakedown in Barcelona, where he got his first taste of the new car.
Norris's achievement makes him Britain's eleventh Formula 1 world champion, a remarkable accomplishment that has drawn attention from across the sporting world and beyond. His victory not only ended Verstappen's dominance but also marked a significant moment for British motorsport, reestablishing the nation's presence at the pinnacle of Formula 1 racing after several seasons of Dutch supremacy.
