McLaren F1 driver Norris to move to Monaco from UK
Lando Norris has revealed he will move from the UK to Monaco this winter, with the Formula 1 driver feeling the timing is right from a career and financial perspective.
The young Briton has long resisted joining other F1 drivers in the tax haven of Monaco, despite the clear money benefits from doing so, and committed to living near the McLaren factory in Woking.
But, after getting more established in grand prix racing and having extended his McLaren contract earlier this year, Norris thinks now is the perfect opportunity to make a change.
"It's something that obviously a lot of drivers go to do and especially, with how racing is, I think we've seen for other drivers how quickly things can also go downhill and so on," said Norris.
"I have to look after my things for my future."
Monaco is home to a number of F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo.
Norris says that, while earlier in his career it was essential for him to remain in the UK to be close to McLaren, now such proximity is not essential.
For as he comes to the end of his third season in grand prix racing, he thinks he has reached a stage where he can operate more remotely.
"There was still a lot more to gain from me and my career to being at McLaren and being able to go in whenever I wanted to," he explained.
"Whenever I had a bad weekend, I could just go in on whatever day to be on the simulator to try things, speaking to my engineers, and so on. And I love England. It's still probably my favourite place to be.
"My family are there, my friends are there. And I think I said many times that for me, fun and enjoyment, and enjoying what I'm doing, takes priority over making these kind of decisions.
"So it's not a not an easy decision. And it's not something I've been thinking of for many years.
"I just feel like I'm in a comfortable place at the minute to make this decision and spend the time to move over there. I can still see a lot of my friends, and my family are going to come over.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
"So many things will remain exactly the same. It's just that I'm based in a different place. Maybe I won't get to play as much golf, which is probably the biggest downside. But there's a couple places nearby that I can go and play and so on.
"So not an easy decision. But it's still a life decision and there's so many things that do change from it."
While Norris is not hiding from the financial motivation behind his move, he says he is aware that some may choose to criticise him for it.
"Of course I'll understand and there's going to be some [criticisms] for sure," he said. "But people do many things in life for money. This is just another one."
But he is also clear that will still be in touch with his fans online as much as before.
"I can still stream on Twitch and stuff," he said. "My interaction with the fans won't change at all. Max has done a few streams, so that side of it won't change.
"I think everything I do in day-to-day life, it's going to be exactly the same. My amount of days in McLaren and so on, it's probably going to be higher than it was last year just because of so many new rules."
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