"No, He's mine!": When Penelope Kvyat adorably hugged Lando Norris before a race

McLaren driver Lando Norris was previously adorably hugged by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet's daughter Penelope Kvyat during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite their recent on-track battles, Norris and Verstappen have maintained a friendly dynamic off the track that they have shared for over a decade.

The duo have been racing against each other since their junior days, with the Dutch driver competing in senior categories given their age difference. After the Briton moved to Monaco in 2022, he and the four-time F1 world champion were spotted hanging out frequently off the track. Lando Norris even attended Penelope Kvyat's birthday a couple of years ago to further strengthen their bond.

In a clip floating on social media, the now 25-year-old was warmly greeted by the five-year-old, who is the daughter of Kelly Piquet and Daniil Kvyat. This happened in Abu Dhabi last year when she surprised the former in the McLaren hospitality area.

Penelope shared a sticker with the eight-time F1 race winner, and they even hugged each other after the latter thanked her. Lando Norris' mother then interjected their moment and said:

"Now he's mine, okay?"

The five-year-old hugged Norris even tighter while pushing his mother away and replied:

"No, he's mine!"

She even cheered for the McLaren driver when he won the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year.

Lando Norris has continued his good form from last year and is mounting another title challenge this year involving his teammate, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen.

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Former F1 world champion reveals his reason for picking Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri

Former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell revealed that he picked Lando Norris to beat Oscar Piastri for the drivers' championship this year, given the momentum acquired by the British driver following his consecutive race wins in Austria and Silverstone.

As per GrandPrix247, the former Williams F1 driver reflected on the title fight and said:

“They’re going to have a great head-to-head battle all year, but I think Lando will probably come out on top. Every time you win a race, you get more confidence. Even if you won the race, you’ve got to be honest with yourself about where you could have done better. If you can do that, you’ll improve again in the next race.” “He’s come off two wins. Monaco’s a great win, Silverstone’s a brilliant win. Sadly, Oscar screwed up a little bit, and I sympathise with him. He was unlucky to get a 10-second penalty, but the regulations are the regulations.”

The Bristol-native trails his Aussie teammate by eight points at the halfway point of the season. Norris will look to close the gap even further in Spa, which is another home race for him, given his mother is of Belgian heritage.

Edited by Anisha Chatterjee