okay, i’ve been thinking about all this for so long and finally sat down to write. 🫣
because honestly? i’m tired of seeing people being just rude and horrible.
yeah, Lando's family is rich. like, very rich. his dad is a british investor worth around £220 million (according to the sunday times rich list). he made his fortune in finance and later in startups. so yes, lando grew up privileged. but that’s just the background, not the story.
money can open a door. but it can’t make people respect you once you walk through it!
in 2017, mclaren signed him to their junior program after he won the mclaren autosport brdc award. by 2018, he was the team’s official test and reserve driver, running endless laps in the simulator, taking part in friday fp1 sessions, and helping test new setups. according to motorsport.com, test/reserve drivers earn maybe $100k–$500k a year...I mean I know its a lot for most people, sure, but nothing compared to race drivers.
he didn’t just drive the car; he lived inside the garage. after fp1 sessions, when most young drivers left, lando stayed. mechanics told sky f1 he’d sit on the floor as they stripped the car down, asking what every part did — the gearbox, the power unit, the brakes. one of them said he looked “more like an apprentice than a future superstar.”
he cleaned his own helmet, folded his race suit, and stayed with engineers to review telemetry, sometimes comparing his data with fernando alonso’s. autosport reported he once noticed a tiny braking difference that the engineers themselves missed.
the stories from those years are honestly adorable. there’s the time he offered to make tea for the crew, only to realize he didn’t know how much milk or sugar to put in (confirmed by mclaren’s own q&a, by the way). or when he stayed so late at hq that he literally slept on the sofa near the simulator — engineers said he was “half living at woking.” one time he brought the wrong visor attachment to a test, fixed it with tape, and laughed about it, calling himself “the rookie who can’t pack properly.” and yes, there was even a googly eyes prank on a wind tunnel model that somehow everyone found funny instead of annoying.
but the best part is how the garage loved him. he brought chocolates after long nights, and even when he became a full-time driver, he didn’t change. one mechanic told autosport in 2023, “he’s worth millions, but still shows up with haribo like one of us.”
so when mclaren decided after the 2018 summer break to promote him and replace stoffel vandoorne, nobody inside the team was shocked. they were proud. “he’s one of us — he’ll fit in straight away,” an engineer told the race. even vandoorne himself said to motorsport.com, “lando’s a talented guy… he deserves the opportunity.”
and he did. his results backed it up: f3 european champion (2017), f2 vice-champion (2018) as a rookie. he wasn’t there because of his dad’s money!! he was there because he’d proven he belonged.
he’s open about his mental health — bbc sport even ran a piece on how he’s dealt with anxiety and pressure. he said in the guardian last year, “the title is my dream, but i don’t want to be remembered only for winning.”
he doesn’t pretend to be perfect. he’s self-aware, humble, still that kid who stayed up reading telemetry until he fell asleep.
so yeah. maybe his dad’s money helped him get started. but his attitude, curiosity, and humility are what kept him there. he earned every lap, every podium, every bit of respect.
he’s still the guy who offered to make tea wrong.
who stayed up past midnight studying car data.
who thanked his mechanics with candy.
he’s a self-made racer who just happened to start with a head start — and never wasted it!!
you don’t need to agree with all his personal life decisions (i know i don’t!), but you gotta at least respect him as a driver! and by doing that it doesn’t mean you have to hate or be disrespectful to him or any other driver. everyone that’s there has their own history.
no idea if anyone’s going to read all this tbh, but yeah, that’s it 😅
let’s focus on the sport and enjoy it!!! 🧡🏁
