Lando Norris is one of the fan favourite drivers in Formula 1 given his connection to the younger demographic through his streaming and social media exploits.
The Briton came close to winning his first title in F1 last year, after a close battle with Max Verstappen on track. In the end the Dutchman prevailed to win his fourth title in a row, while Norris made too many mistakes during the season.
Norris managed to win four races in the 2024 season, including a victory at Verstappen’s home race at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix.
With the scenes of orange flairs usually engulfing the circuit when Verstappen wins, you would expect the reception for his main title rival and British driver Norris to be met with hostility.
Instead the fans did something you would not expect to see, according to one off-camera moment noted in the Chequered Flag: Back to Base podcast.
Lando Norris praised by Dutch fans after Zandvoort win
It was the first time Verstappen has been unseated at his home Grand Prix since it rejoined the calendar in 2021, with Norris dominating the race by over 20 seconds.
Dutch fans are known for being passionate supporters of their home driver Verstappen, so it was quite surprising to see the support for Norris when he won and closed the gap in the title race to just 70 points.
According to the Back to Base podcast, fans hung around to give Verstappen’s biggest title rival a ‘hero’s reception’ after the race.
“Later that night, as Norris leaves the circuit, he hangs out of the window of his road car, soaking up the cheers from the crowd. It’s an unlikely hero’s reception in the homeland of his biggest rival.”
Would Max Verstappen receive the same treatment at Silverstone?
The British GP is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar in the summer of UK sport, and it gets even more popular when fans know a British driver can win.
Last year saw three British drivers lock out the top three positions in qualifying, with George Russell starting from pole alongside Lewis Hamilton and Norris.
Hamilton went on to take a record ninth victory at the track, while it was Verstappen who finished second after coming close to victory.
It was an opportunistic strategy from Verstappen, who pitted towards the end of the race for fresh tyres and blitzed his way past Norris. Had Verstappen have won the race, it seems unlikely he would get the same reception.
This could be partially down to the fact that he’s Dutch and not British, but also because he dominated the previous season with 19 victories. F1 fans like to see variety and victories earned, and at the moment Verstappen is the pantomime villain.
The Dutch fans treatment of Norris was respectful, if not indicative of how in touch he is with the key demographics of the championship (younger audiences) and the desire for there to be more competiton at the top.
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