Lando Norris' uncle reveals F1 origin story after title win: "Had to hold Lando back from sleeping with his helmet"

Lando Norris’ world championship felt inevitable to those who watched him grow up. That’s how Koen Wauman, his uncle in Sint-Niklaas, remembers a small boy obsessed with steering and helmets.

Norris became a Formula 1 champion in Abu Dhabi after a season-long fight that came down to two points. The 26-year-old McLaren driver sealed the title with a measured drive, completing a journey that began on small karting circuits in Belgium and Britain.

Norris' parents’ story plays a central role. His father, Adam Norris, moved from England to Belgium as a young cyclist, met Cisca Wauman in Sint-Niklaas, and the two eventually settled back in Britain. Still, their ties to Belgium shaped much of Norris’ upbringing.

That connection deepened each time the family returned to visit Koen and the grandparents in Sint-Niklaas. It was during one of those trips that his uncle saw a young Lando’s instinct for motorsports grow, a moment that still stands out after all these years.

“Lando had been given a kart for his 8th birthday, with which he — together with his brother Oliver - drove figure eights on the wet grass in the garden for hours on end,” Koen remembered, via Sporza. “You could immediately see that he had mastered the steering. And you had to hold Lando back from sleeping with his helmet on his head.”

Weekend karting quickly turned into serious competition. Lando Norris dominated junior categories across Europe, collecting titles from the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship to MSA Formula and the Formula Renault Eurocup. By 2017, he was part of McLaren’s youth program, winning the European F3 title and finishing second in Macau.

Lando Norris before the 2019 F1 Monaco Grand Prix. Source: Getty

A season in Formula 2 followed, where his consistency kept him in the title fight with George Russell and Alex Albon. He joined McLaren as a reserve driver that year, ran seven FP1 sessions, and was signed to the full-time F1 seat for 2019.

Six years hence, the British driver is an F1 champion. Norris visits Belgium less often now, though family gatherings at Spa remain a constant reminder of where the journey began.

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Lando Norris' parents reflect on their son's F1 ‘journey’ after title win

Lando Norris celebrates with his mother Cisca Norris and father Adam Norris. Source: Getty

Lando Norris needed at least a podium to secure the title in Abu Dhabi. He started second, dropped to third when Oscar Piastri overtook him on the harder tires, and held that position. Max Verstappen led from start to finish, but Norris’ two-stop approach was enough. He took the title by two points and dedicated the win to his parents.

Speaking to F1 after the race, Adam Norris said:

“I love the journey, and I really loved those places you go to that no tourist would go to. You go to remote little tracks, and I love the journey — I really enjoyed every part of that journey, but it was hard, really difficult. Some of the other parents packed up because they didn’t want to do that, but I was there and the team was there the whole way through to keep going.”

Lando's mother, Cisca Wauman, echoed the emotion of the moment:

“Those last laps, they took ages! You never know what can happen until the race is done... But here we are.”

Next season, Lando Norris will run the No. 1, marking the first time in years someone other than Max Verstappen will do so.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam