Lando Norris opened up on his own mental health struggles as he revealed his work to raise public awareness has saved lives.
At the age of 23, the Formula 1 racer has already developed a reputation for being a strong competitor on the track. Off it, the work he has done to highlight the importance of looking after your mental health has proven far more important.
One such example of his efforts was an impromptu appearance on ITV daytime show This Morning. Along with his F1 career, the young Brit also made a point of talking about mental health – inspired to do so after his own fights with self-doubt.
"I didn’t need to do that," Norris told GQ of that TV appearance. "It was a choice [to speak about mental health], because I struggled quite a bit with it in 2019 and 2020." He added that the sudden fame and pressure heaped upon him had an adverse affect at first.
"I just didn't know how to deal with it. I kept all of it inside and it really hurt my self-belief and self-confidence, which got to an all-time low. I doubted myself: Am I good enough to be in Formula 1? Can I come back from this?
"I think I'm a fair loser, but I've always been a guy who's very harsh on myself. I'm very critical of my own performance. I always think, What could I have done better? And then, What could the team have done better?"
Like all F1 drivers, Norris still experiences some trolling online, but after his manager contacted a mental health coach to help him he has become much more adept at ignoring such messages. Norris says he is now also better at dealing with his own negative feelings.
"You're never going to please everyone," the McLaren driver added. "There are people that support you and people that don't... I know I'm doing the best I can."
And Norris appeared humbled when he revealed that some fans had contacted him to give him a true idea of the sort of impact he has been able to have by speaking out about his own troubles. "A few people said that I had saved their life – that hits you pretty hard."
Read the full feature online at GQ Hype now.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
