16/04/2025 14:45
Lando Norris appears to have been outed as the F1 driver conducting
private tests in WRC machinery, a rumour that captivated the
paddock when it first spread last season. The story originated from
former F1 journalist Peter Windsor, who claimed he would not reveal
the identity of the mystery driver involved. Valtteri Bottas and
Lance Stroll are two names that have been floated as potential
suspects, but neither was ultimately unmasked. The former has
competed in rallies in his native Finland in the past and the
latter was spotted behind the wheel of a rally car shortly before
F1 pre-season testing earlier this year. However, Windsor has now
seemingly backtracked on his previous pledge, saying: "I know Lando
is a serious WRC fan," when being interviewed on the Cameron Cc:
YouTube Channel. "And I hope I'm not giving away too many secrets
here when I say I know he's been out in WRC cars and he's
unbelievably good." Golf and WRC F1 drivers dabbling in other
motorsport disciplines is not unprecedented and rallying has
attracted its fair share of suitors over the years. Kimi Raikkonen
left F1 after the 2009 season to pursue a career in WRC, although
it was reasonably short lived. He returned to single-seaters for
the 2012 campaign. Robert Kubica suffered a serious crash whilst
rallying, which resulted in life-altering injuries, before the 2011
F1 season. It ended his career in the championship until he made an
impressive and popular comeback for Williams for a year in 2019. As
for Norris, Windsor attributed the skill he displayed in tricky
conditions at Albert Park last month to his experience behind the
wheel of a WRC car - and his love of golf. "And he's also a very
good golfer... one of the reason's he did a really good job [in the
Australian Grand Prix] is he's now got everything assembled in
front of him that he needs in order to do the job," Windsor added.
"And I think the touch and the feel and the rhythm that he knows he
has in golf and WRC rally cars showed itself a little bit in the
semi-wet and wet [in Melbourne]. We saw some beautiful slides from
Lando. "He's leading the race, he's got Max [Verstappen] and George
[Russell] and [Oscar] Piastri and all those lot behind him, and
he's having moments with the car, and he's got the back end out...
and he's got the power on beautifully, and the way he held the car
when he nearly ended in tears mid-race, that was pure WRC talent
mixed with golf sensitivity around the green. "That was just superb
to watch... he's got so much capacity around him, which a lot of
people don't give him credit for."
