Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has praised McLaren driver Lando Norris, describing his public honesty about his emotions as `courageous` and something that will `inspire` children.
Norris`s candidness with the media in recent seasons has sparked debate. Some have viewed his approach as a sign of weakness that could be exploited by rivals.
However, Vettel, who secured four consecutive drivers` titles for Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 before retiring in 2022, defended the young British driver.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in Saudi Arabia before the recent Grand Prix, Vettel commented: “We`re all having good times and bad times, whether we are Formula 1 drivers or having a regular job. Aren`t we all like that? We have better days and worse days.”
“The threat now is that people talk about what he`s maybe going through, and interpret it as a sign of weakness. Like, `Why is he doing that? What`s going on with him? What`s wrong with him?`”
“Nothing`s wrong with him. I think everybody`s going through the same things in different phases of your life. Self-doubt is the most natural thing there is, but it`s the most unnatural thing to talk about, and that is wrong.”
“So, I think it`s completely fine and I think it`s very courageous of him to open up and talk about that side of him. And I wish and I hope that the media picks it up and turns it a little bit around.”
Norris’ Approach Will Inspire Young Kids
After achieving his initial F1 victories last season as McLaren won the Constructors` Championship, Norris entered 2025 facing unprecedented attention, even being tipped as a favourite for the drivers` title.
He has experienced an inconsistent start to his current campaign, finding it challenging to consistently extract optimal performance from his McLaren since his impressive victory in the opening race in Australia. Following a crash in qualifying, he finished fourth in the Jeddah race and lost the championship lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri.
Norris has previously been open about how he handles pressure, for instance, stating last season that he can `barely eat` on race days.
Vettel believes Norris deserves recognition for being part of a new wave of drivers who are comfortable discussing their emotions. He also highlighted his former competitor Lewis Hamilton as another positive example.
“Now you go back one or two or three generations, it was a weakness to talk about your emotions,” Vettel explained. “It was a weakness to hang out with your rivals after the race, because they`re your rivals.”
““I want to beat the guy and push him off the track. Why should I hang out with him and invite him for dinner? That makes me soft.` Is that true? I think if you look at the generation today in charge now, they have progressed so much and I think we should celebrate the fact that they are getting along with each other, they are getting together.”
“They still have the rivalry on track, they still want to beat the other guy, 100 per cent, but also have the courage to speak about their emotions, their weaknesses, that they might feel lost, the pressure that they feel.”
“I think it`s great and it inspires young kids to do the same, and isn`t that healthy, when you don`t feel as a child that you have to keep it to yourself and you can`t open up.”
“But now because Lando Norris is doing it, or Lewis starts to do it, or Novak Djokovic is doing it in another sport, or people in business start to open up, you feel more free and you can release these feelings and talk about it and often solve problems before they actually start. I think that`s a great progression.”
Schumacher Had Self-Doubt Too!
Vettel also shared that discovering his idol, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, also experienced self-doubt was a significant moment in his own career.
Schumacher served as a mentor to fellow German Vettel when the latter entered Formula 1 in 2007, during Schumacher`s initial retirement phase before his return with Mercedes.
Vettel defended Norris again as he reflected on his interaction with Schumacher.
He stated: “There`s two roads we can take – either we take the old road, and it`s just, `ah, that`s weak, that`s wrong, he`s getting soft, it`s too much pressure and he can`t cope with it, he`s not good enough`.”
“Or there`s the new road, of actually appreciating the fact and maybe thinking that all the heroes in the past, whether it`s Michael (Schumacher), (Mika) Hakkinen, and then you go back to other generations before that, they had the same issues, they had the same issues, they had the same things running through their head.”
Regarding an image:
“I spoke with Michael, and I was relieved when he told me that he had self-doubt. My hero, my champion, the guy that was on my walls throughout my childhood had self-doubt.”
“It made a lot of pressure go away when I knew that my hero went through the same things. So, I think there`s a lot of inspiration to take from it.”
Vettel was speaking at an event he hosted in Saudi Arabia, called Race4Women (Challenge Me), aimed at encouraging female participation in motor racing in the country.
