Lando Norris follows Lewis Hamilton’s lead with street racing short film ahead of Japan GP

As Formula 1 heads to Suzuka for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, championship leader Lando Norris has shared a teaser for a video that looks very similar to the short films Lewis Hamilton shares each time the circus heads to the country.

Channelling his inner Tokyo Drift, the McLaren driver looks to be following in the tradition started by the seven-time world champion. 

Hamilton started the video series in 2022 when he first drove through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo in a rented Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. The viral video watched Hamilton weave through traffic before arriving at an empty carpark and performing donuts until the gearbox gave out. With smoke pouring out of the transmission tunnel, the former Mercedes driver was delighted with his work. 

The video landed Hamilton in hot water over allegedly driving over the speed limit, and the rental company wasn’t happy with the resulting damage to the car. But this didn’t stop him from partaking once again the following year. The sequel saw the driver in a Bayside Blue R34 against the backdrop of the Tokyo Tower. 

“JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN TOKYO,” the caption read alongside footage of him speeding down the Shuto Expressway. 

This year, Hamilton is teasing another video around the capital city, with him sharing a number of throwbacks to his Instagram stories. 

Now, it looks as though Norris is looking to get in on the action as he partners with sponsor Monster Energy and his own media company, Quadrant, for a similar video. Piloting a highly modified Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 alongside a number of other customised cars, the Papaya driver smiles intently as lights reflect off the externally mounted oil cooler on the front of the car.  

The teaser comes at a time when Norris is enjoying his strongest season yet of his F1 career. The Bristol-born driver leads the drivers’ standings with 44 points, eight more than Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen, who sits in second. McLaren as a team has fought for back-to-back victories so far this season with Norris commanding the season opener in Australia and team-mate Oscar Piastri winning his Chinese campaign. 

Norris enters Japan as the favourite, but all eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda as he sits in the Red Bull car for first time after replacing Liam Lawson. He’ll be hoping to impress his home crowd.