my new laptop finally came in and now i have a working keyboard so you know what that means
why I love lando norris
an essay by a certified yapper
grab a snack i'm gonna be here for a while
ok backstory on how i got into f1 (it's very butterfly effect-y)
i was driving my uncle around and took a turn really fast and he goes "woah easy verstappen" and i'm like huh? and he goes you know f1, i'm like no, then obvs because algorithms are a thing my entire tiktok feed becomes du du du du max verstaaaapppennnn, i binge dts in like a week, and barabingbaraboom here we are
my first love is immediately daniel, oh the charm, that man cast a spell on me, and then by proxy i started to learn about max and how in reality he's the sweetest cutie patootie but can also be a deliciously written villain, so maxiel becomes my og first love they're the reason i got into the sport
then i start looking at the different teams and learn about the different drivers and who's killing it with their social media and youtube presence? a very particular papaya team
note: i am truly devastated that they don't post as much stuff with their drivers anymore mclaren unboxed you are so dearly missed
and then a particular set of ocean blue-green eyes and a laugh so incredibly contagious stumbles into my life, grabs a chunk of my heart, and goes this is mine now
now let's get into it
out of all the drivers, lando feels the most..... for lack of a better word.... normal?
this is both a great thing and a detrimental thing. out of all the drivers on the grid, lando is the easiest person to develop a parasocial relationship with because it feels like he doesn't have a persona, it's just him, he's just a guy. he gives so much of himself to his fans, he involves us in so many things. his merch, landostand, quadrant, his streams, his jpeg, we get to see him interacting with his friends inside and outside f1 through social media and streaming, he's so expressive with his words and facial expressions, he's weird and a little annoying sometimes, he has no filter, he gives so much of himself that i can't help the feeling that he feels so familiar, i feel like i know him, i care about him, i care for him, he feels like a friend. this is both the key to his popularity but also one of his fatal flaws. unfortunately, having a persona as someone in the public eye is a means of protection before it is a reflection of an ego or anything of that sort. it's important when we are consuming content from celebrities that there is some sort of barrier (whether we like it or not), a wall they put up to let us and themselves know that we are strangers at the end of the day. lando doesn't do that, for the most part at least. he speaks to the media the same way he speaks to his friends. he wears his heart on his sleeve, he lets his emotions show when he's angry or frustrated or unhappy, his face never hides what he's truly thinking, he sees what fans say and do online and interacts with them. on one hand this makes him arguably the most sincere and genuine person on the grid, but on the other it makes it very simple to not like him. it hurts my heart so much when people say he's egotistical because he's really not, he just speaks to the media the same way he speaks to his friends, which IS a mistake on his behalf because the media is absolutely not your friend and the consumers of that media are most definitely not your friend. HOWEVER, as a fan of his, i eat this up, i want to see his face scrunch up into a million emotions, i want to see him snap when he's unhappy and light up like a firework when he's happy. i want to watch his streams and his vlogs and his insta stories and jpeg dumps and youtube vids, because that's how i see my friends.
2. he is so loved
ohhhhh the way my heart flutters when i see him happy with other people and more importantly when i see other people be happy around him. why are you friends with your ex-teammates dad, why are you invited to your rival's step-daughter's birthday party, why are you at your friend's private birthday dinner with family, why does every single driver on the grid speak highly of you, why do you got these retired drivers and world champions in a chokehold talking to everyone who would listen about how good you smell. omg he is so lovedddddd, it brings me so much joy, it makes me love him so much, idk the psychology behind it
3. i relate to him on an unhealthy level
this is where it gets kinda parasocially
i find that a lot of drivers' struggles or flaws over the course of their careers are quite....... cinematic? like they're pain is oddly poetic. lewis, max, charles, daniel. obviously we can relate to them on one scale or another but with lando...
his fatal flaw is essentially: i care too much about what people think of me
and guess what my biggest struggle in life is
and guess what a lot of people's biggest struggle is
it's so easy to relate to his pain because i'm drowning in it. no matter how much i achieve or how much i think i built up my self-image and self-worth, i crumble under the fear of perception and judgement. i care too much about what people think of me, i stumble on my words and say dumb things and then beat myself for it endlessly, i tell myself these are where my weaknesses are and here's how i can address them but time and time again i make the same mistakes and wonder when i'll ever be good enough... like the people around me, the ones that are naturally smart and talented and always say the right thing and not let the pressure get to them and learn from their mistakes and become better
so when i see someone else struggle with the same exact thing
it becomes so easy to be drawn to them, to root for them, to wish for them to overcome their struggles and live vicariously through them in hopes that one day i too can overcome mine
it makes me furious to see people use his openness as a stick to beat him down with. sometimes i wonder if he wishes he never spoke about mental health, if he kept it to himself and just tackled it with his family and friends instead of laying out his pain on a public stage for everyone to judge and shame and project their own insecurities. i wonder if the pride he gets from knowing he's helped people with their mental health outweighs the pain he feels on the daily from everyone (the media, his rivals, his haters, even his own fans) using his pain to their advantage. i hope he doesn't regret it, but deep down i think he does. i also think that ironically this discourages other men and specifically male athletes from being open about their mental health because they see so clearly that it can and WILL be used against them.
ok that got really serious i'm sorry
4. that boy is hilarious
i see his face and immediately break into a huge stupid smile. sometimes he's witty and says random jokes, sometimes he just acts so weird, sometimes it's just incoherent babblings followed by a hysterical laugh. anytime i'm feeling down he pulls me right out of it. he's gotten me through some rough times. i'm emotionally attached
5. his driving is impressive
he's really good at his job, last season i was on the edge of my seat the entire time. yes the lows are low but the highs??? when he won his first race i was screaming running around my house and treated my family to lunch to celebrate. singapore, abu dhabi, australia, MONACOOOO, his last race and fighting against oscar??? idc that he crashed he was driving phenomenally before that. he's proven his talent time and time again and i can't wait for him to get back to his normal quali pace because i just know he'll be a beast.
6. his voice
while he can be very loud and chaotic, his quiet, gentle, soft spoken voice tickles my brain like no other. i love his accent, i love how he sometimes stumbles over his words, i love when he's speaking softly and quietly it's so comforting and intimate and afosfdlewdpwqejtpiejfdhewqr
7. he's gorgeous
i'd be a big fat liar if i didn't include the fact that THAT MAN IS SO BEAUTIFUL to the list. his eyes, his eyessssssss, lost in them and no plans of coming back, his perfect tan, his hairrrrr (RIP the mullet i'm never losing hope that he'll bring it back one day), his beauty marks, his lipsss, his pointy ears, his hands, omg his hands, ahhhhhhhhhhhh
8. his relationships with his teammates
I mean where do i start. him and carlos were such an iconic duo that i think they're lowkey the reason f1 started to push the narrative of teammates being best friends and subsequently forcing into existence the whole "pr friendship" thing. it's hilarious. singapore 2023 you will always be famous. him and daniel are one of my favorite duos in f1 period. so much chaotic energy, so much character development, so many iconic moments. landoscar, ohhhhhh my sweet babies, the way i watched them go from awkward coworkers to now fully confessing their undying love on live tv despite the horrors™. seeing lando be a part of such different teammate dynamics and coming out of all of them with a healthy relationship is so refreshing. i love this lil munchkin
9. He’s such a sweetheart
Like seriously he’s so sweet and gentle and can get shy and mumbly when people praise him and he geeks out about the things he loves omg have you seen him with kids????? The most adorablist cutie patootie. He’s so gentle, so thoughtful, so wholesome!!!! The way he interacts with fans and gets flustered and how he can get along with literally anybody. The way he melts into his parents’ hugs. His friendship with max is so dear to me. I’m so happy he got to keep his bestie and have someone who truly understands and loves him.
Now for a few of my fav pics of lando (tell me if you notice a pattern lol):
ok i hope you enjoyed
i might do this for other drivers too idk
