Lando Norris reveals his first love was motorcycle racing: "My hero was Valentino Rossi"

McLaren driver Lando Norris reflected on his childhood and journey into Formula 1 during an appearance at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he revealed his first love was motorcycle racing. 

Norris, who is currently second in the drivers' standings sitting just nine points behind his team-mate Oscar Piastri, revealed how he initially wanted to progress into motocross or motorcycle racing, adding that his father once sold a quad bike as it was too dangerous for the now-McLaren F1 driver.

"You know what, I would love to do motorbike stuff. That's actually where I started," Norris explained during an appearance on stage at the event. "So I did horse riding - I hated that. Quad biking - my dad sold it, he said it got stolen, he just sold it because it was too dangerous for me. Then I went to motocross.

"So I love dirt motorsport - motorbikes, motocross, quad bikes, I loved all of that before I ever watched Formula 1, before I ever saw road racing, or anything.

"For me, buggies and desert stuff, I was like 'this is the coolest stuff in the world.' So that's actually what I wanted to do before everything. Motorbikes was where a lot of my love started, my hero was Valentino Rossi." 

Norris is in an intense battle with Piastri in the drivers' championship as both fight it out for their first championship titles. The 25-year-old discussed the 2025 F1 season so far with RACER and what he hopes will come following the summer break.

“Nothing makes my life feel different, it’s just your preparedness for this moment, for this battle,” Norris explained. “From a racing side, I've learned a lot of things. Just generally more experience.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images

“What comes with experience is just dealing with more situations, going through more things, understanding your team better, them understanding you better. So naturally, you're just more prepared for any situation.

“You're more prepared, but the second part is actually being a better driver on top of that. Can you actually drive the car quicker? Can you save the tyres in a better way? Which are normally the harder things, I would say. But also, especially for Oscar, in his third year of Formula 1, a lot of that just comes with experience, too.

“I think I'm going to say it in every interview I do, probably from now on – maybe not ever – but I feel now more like the most complete driver I've ever been. I feel like I'm ready to tackle more challenges, and all of these things.

“It doesn't necessarily make it easier, though. You're still racing the best drivers in the world who can drive the car just as quick as you. So it doesn't make things easier, but you're just more prepared. And I think at times, that just allows you to show more of your potential.”