Western Daily Press (Saturday)
‘I’M NOT IN PERFECT CONDITION’
Somerset Formula One driver wants to forget his Wembley mugging ordeal
LANDO Norris admits he has been counting down the days to the British Grand Prix to erase the terrifying moment he was mugged at Wembley.
The 21-year-old Somerset driver’s Richard Mille watch, worth £40,000, was stolen after he was accosted by two men following England’s Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy last Sunday.
Norris was about to step into his McLaren road car when the mugging took place. The shocking incident, among a number overshadowing the showpiece game, is now the subject of a police investigation.
“I am getting better, but I am not in the perfect condition,” said Norris, who is fourth in the world title standings ahead of his home race.
“I am just trying to recover and make sure I am completely ready. There is not a lot I can do now.
“Of course it was scary. The biggest thing out of all of it is the shock of feeling like you are about to go home and something like that happens so quickly.
“There is the shock of realising that it can happen to anyone, including me, when you don’t think it will or at least there is a slim chance. It was a scary thing and I don’t wish it upon anyone. I hope people can make changes so it doesn’t happen.
“I am an over-thinker, and you can think the best, but I think the worst.
“To think of things like that is not nice, so to come into this weekend and take my mind off it and to see all the fans again is something I am looking forward to.”
Formula One’s first sprint race takes place today, with the main event going ahead tomorrow.
GEORGE Russell wants to join Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes to prove what he is capable of – and says he will find out next month if he has landed the hottest ticket in Formula One.
The 23-year-old insists he is still in the dark as to whether Mercedes will promote him from Williams and form a mouth-watering all-British line-up alongside Hamilton at the Silver Arrows in 2022.
The seven-time world champion, 36, recently signed an £80 million contract extension to stay for two more years. His team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Russell, a junior driver for Mercedes, are in a direct shoot-out for the second seat.
“Of course everybody wants to go up against the best person in the world and show what they are capable of,” Russell, right, said ahead of tomorrow’s British Grand Prix.
“There is a huge amount to learn from a guy like Lewis, so it would be an incredible opportunity. But I don’t know what will happen.
“Mercedes are in control of my future and they will do whatever they believe is right for my career – if they think I am ready now or they don’t think I am ready – it is in their hands.
“I would say by the time we are back racing in Belgium at the end of August, following the summer break, everything will be clear. Realistically, that is the expected timeline.”