481archive

[481archive]

Norris on 'doing it my way' and racing against Verstappen

June 11, 2025 by Andrew Benson

about oscar:

Piastri's upturn in form is one of the stories of the season. But ask Norris whether it has surprised him, and he says: "I wouldn't say so. If I was on the outside, 100% I would agree. I'm not surprised, because I know the kind of driver he is. I know what he's capable of doing. I know the talent he has. And I guess I see it more than anyone else. "I'm the guy looking at what he does with his feet and with his hands, and how he drives the car. And I'm able to give probably a more accurate answer than anyone else on the outside."

about max:

"I don't think he's done anything untoward towards me," Norris says. "He's raced against me very, very toughly, as he has the right to do. He's made my life very, very tough at times. And he has the right to do that. "I've said it many times, I have a lot of respect for Max. The driver he is, the person he is, what he stands for all of the time. And what he's achieved, his four world championships. That's four more than me, and he's had a lot more race wins than me.

[481archive]

Meet Oscar Piastri, Formula 1’s Newest Star in the Making

May 2, 2025 by Nick Remsen

Steadfastness seems to be a through line across his life, both on and off the track, but while it comes across as innate, Piastri admits that keeping an even keel requires a fair amount of maintenance. “A large element of it comes naturally, but there is a conscious effort to, let’s say, maintain it and make it into a greater strength,” he explains. “I still feel pressure; I still get nervous—it’s not like there’s nothing there at all. It’s about how you suppress or channel the feeling in the right way. Working on the mental side of things... you need to know yourself in a lot of ways.”

[481archive]

Lando x Liberty Walk

June 11, 2025 by Rowan Horncastle (words) and Mark Riccioni (photography)

"In the future I don't know if I'll be in Formula One, if 1 want to be in Formula One. Obviously, I want to achieve everything I can achieve, but I don't know if I have the mindset of 'I want to be remembered as being one of the best in Formula One' or remembered for achieving one or two or three world championships. I don't know if that's my ultimate goal. I don't know if I want to be remembered. I just want to go and do my own thing, enjoy life with my friends, have a family and watch my kids grow up, see if they want to do racing or any other sports."

Full article below:

Sakura season is about reflecting and new beginnings. So we celebrate it with Lando Norris and his new Liberty Walk Skyline.

As salarymen barge past, diving drunkenly into cupboard sized restaurants, the neon lights of Shinjuku dance in puddles beneath Lando Norris' feet. "This is the most arcade game vibe ever," he says, voice bubbling with excited enthusiasm.

And perhaps only in Japan - land of ceremony, restraint, and polite indifference - could the most talked about man on the F1 grid saunter through a city, hood up, without a phone being shoved in his face. Well, until I whip mine out to show him a photo from the first time TopGear interviewed him, back in 2019.

"S**t, would you look at that!" he exclaims, unleashing his trademark helium giggle. Back then, he was a 19-year-old prepping to become the youngest British driver ever to start a Grand Prix. Now, 134 GPs later - with a neck like an oak trunk - he's visibly stronger, more confident, but still fantastically lucid and funny.

"Time flies and it's mad to think it's my seventh year in Formula One. It felt like not long ago I was trying to get to Formula One. Don't get me wrong, everything still feels crazy, but more normal now-like Formula One is my everyday life, rather than feeling like I've got an everyday life and then I do Formula One."

But we're not in Japan for the F1. Quite the opposite. We're in Tokyo 250 miles from the paddock in Suzuka - so Lando can take his new car for a midnight spin. A very much not a McLaren, 600bhp Liberty Walk R32 Nissan Skyline - Lando's first JDM car to join an evergrowing and increasingly juicy collection.

"I had the Gumball 3000 Top Trumps cards when I was a kid and always remember the Nissan Skyline. Back then, I also played Gran Turismo, and I remember racing around the streets of Japan - it just looked awesome. So I've always wanted to see what that's like in reality."

Tonight is that make a wish moment for Lando. And as we make our way to rendezvous with his insane kaido racer inspired GT-R, he fills me in on his increasing love for road cars. "I just love to drive. I know Lewis [Hamilton] has had a lot of cars, and probably has a better collection of cars, but I really love to drive."

Something Instagram's algorithm loves too. When we first interviewed Lando, he was driving a diesel Mini. Nowadays, he's seen rocking up to lunch in Monaco looking like the cardboard cutout of cool in his knuckle-bitingly beautiful Blu Julie over orange leather, gold wheeled Lamborghini Miura P400.

"My Miura is my favourite. It's the first proper, proper car that I bought, and probably my favourite in terms of looks. And it was all because I watched the Lamborghini movie. Growing up, I was more into modern cars-I think most young kids are. But I've definitely switched to vintage cars because I've changed quite a lot. I know myself a lot more now - what I like, what I don't. And when I first had my own money to spend, I was just getting crap. I was like, why on Earth did I ever buy those things?"

With a Ferrari F40, AC Cobra, Carrera GT and Fiat 500 Jolly all having taken up space in his garage (plus, naturally, the greatest hits of modern McLarens, including a 765LT Spider, P1 and Senna) that Top Trumps pack has morphed from cardboard to actual bits of metal and carbon fibre. It's an eclectic, considered selection, with a McLaren F1 and Mazda 787B still being the ultimates to collect. So why has he bought and modified a two-door 1990s Japanese coupe?

"If I could, I'd have a collection of Skylines. But the R32 is the one that you don't see as much - it's not as obvious and as noticeable." Until you put a Liberty Walk widebody Super Silhouette racecar bodykit on it.

Liberty Walk might be one of the most polarising tuners on the planet. It has become notorious for bandsawing the arches off a multitude of exotic supercars, only to then rivet supersized bodykits and fit slammed air suspension setups in place. For good or bad, people will always have something to say about it. And when Lando someone in tune with street culture - wanted to collaborate through his motorsport inspired lifestyle and apparel brand Quadrant, there was only one company he wanted to speak to.

In person, the car is even more extreme than pictures. The stance is off the scale, with steplike side skirts, fat arches and massive rims shod in steamroller spec semi-slick Yokohama rubber. Then there's the bespoke bonnet extending out like a peaked cap, a jutta' chin spoiler below, and a bumper slung oil cooler in between - it's as JDM wild as it gets and a throwback to Japanese circuit racers of old.

It also makes for a potentially spicy combination when paired with the uprated Garrett single turbo (the size of a wheelie bin lid) that's been bolted onto the side of the iconic RB motor for over 600bhp. To add more jeopardy into the mix, tonight it's raining sideways.

Lando lowers himself into the R32's completely stripped out interior, feeling his way around the custom, removable, deep dish steering wheel before whipping out his phone to video the rev counter as he tickles the throttle, revs the raw RB25 engine and hears the turbo whistle, wastegate flutter, and the valvetrain tick at idle. "I'm nervous," he says. Which makes me nervous, given he's off the back of securing McLaren's first constructors' championship - its first team title since 1998, a year before Lando was born-and in the fight for the drivers' championship.

He tails an R34 Liberty Walk Skyline and a Silvia S15 out of the parking area, the iconic metallic, raspy urgency of the engine gives way to fire out of the exhaust, licking the back bumper as wheelspin stutters as he engages second gear. Following the car down the Wangan, it is that vision Lando dreamt of in pixels as a kid. The presence of the car is extraordinary, especially decked out in a striking white livery. The exhaust tone ricocheting off tunnels never gets old, providing vein raising excitement with each prod of the throttle.

We end up in an unremarkable dock with the most remarkable collection of Tokyo's finest cars, including the world's only road legal GT2 Diablo, slant nose Porsches, E30 M38, Mercedes 190E Evo IIs, drift cars, slammed kei trucks and everything else in between. Lando airs down the suspension and gets out laughing. "Sheeesh!" he says, blowing out his cheeks. "When the turbo came in, I was like... nope. Try again... NOPE! It's wild. But that sound is insane when I give it some. But I'm scared to give it some! I was nowhere close to being flat."

It's humbling to know that a man who straps himself into an F1 car weekly finds a boosty rear wheel drive Skyline daunting. It proves he's not a robot. But it's partly why Lando has become a fan favourite of F1, having stayed grounded and cemented in reality, partly through Quadrant, an outlet that started during COVID.

"Quadrant is nothing to do with F1," he says emphatically. "Racing is intertwined, but it's personal. It's a cool opportunity for fans to see more about me and our other athletes. It's a bit more special as it's very different to seeing me driving around in a car on TV for the whole weekend."

He's refreshingly open. And is revered for utilising his platforms to openly discuss the psychological challenges of competing at the highest level, acknowledging the pressures of perfectionism and the impact on his performance. But his attitude to the internet and time online has changed.

"I used to spend too many hours online, especially during COVID," he says. "I'd sim race every day, just as much as Max [Verstappen] does now. But I simply don't enjoy it as much nowadays. I guess that's just because I've changed. I don't hate it. And I still love playing games, especially when they're with my friends, but I've become less of a fan of the internet in general."

The expectation on a modern Formula One driver is immense. Not only do they need to risk their lives on track - they need to be insatiably marketable. As well as a driver, they are a brand, billboard and social media content creator all in one. But the exposure to people's thoughts and criticism online is something Lando constantly battles.

"Social media is great because you get to share elements of your life and get a lot more support. But at the same time, I just hate the fact that I look at it so much and my mood can change depending on comments. Then I hate it. I have moments where I delete all of it and won't even look at my phone for days or weeks. And then there'll be moments when I enjoy it and I like to share content-like my JPEG stuff."

That's his lo-fi, behind the scenes Instagram account (@/lando.jpg), shot with a pocket point and shoot. He gets it out to capture the meet, before hopping back into the Skyline to whip donuts in front of a wall of million pound metal. Through the windscreen you can see him with a mile wide smile.

Having shown him that photo from seven years ago, when the adrenaline dies down, I ask what he sees seven years from now. "In the future I don't know if I'll be in Formula One, if 1 want to be in Formula One. Obviously, I want to achieve everything I can achieve, but I don't know if I have the mindset of 'I want to be remembered as being one of the best in Formula One' or remembered for achieving one or two or three world championships. I don't know if that's my ultimate goal. I don't know if I want to be remembered. I just want to go and do my own thing, enjoy life with my friends, have a family and watch my kids grow up, see if they want to do racing or any other sports."

It's rather profound for someone so young. But fitting, given we're in Tokyo during Sakura season a time marked in Japan for reflection and renewal. And as the rain lashes down, cherry blossom sticks to the Liberty Walk Skyline's wide arches something quietly symbolic as Lando seems to be in a season of change himself - more sure of who he is, and what matters to him. Whether or not he ends up a world champion, we'll have to wait and see.

[481archive]

The F1 megastar-in-the-making traits of Oscar Piastri

Aug 18, 2023 by Scott Mitchell-Malm

But his driving preference seems similar to Norris, who wants to attack the entry and carry good speed through a corner. That’s unremarkable in principle. But it requires a fine judgement in the trade-off between the release of the brakes and starting to steer to pull it off, especially when the car is not so forgiving, and Piastri is praised for being able to do this very accurately – like Norris and, to reference him again, like Verstappen at Red Bull.

“He’s definitely been a very good reference,” says Piastri. “There’s always corners that I can do better because of seeing what he can do. I think there’s not been any occasions where I’ve gone, ‘wow, I can’t do that’. “I know what his junior career has been like, I know what he’s achieved in Formula 1 as well. I know how he’s compared against his previous team-mates. “To be able to be quite close to him most of the time, or hopefully on par, is a very nice feeling.

[481archive]

by driver lando | oscar | landoscar

by year: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025

by month + year (not doing it by race sorry!) e.g. #august 24

by category article | race interview (+ press conference) | analysis + opinion

by news outlet formula 1 | sky sports | the race | the guardian | the athletic | bbc sport | vogue | top gear

by notable driver mentioned max33 |