Lando Norris delivers blunt ‘better fans’ response over George Russell grandstand claim
Lando Norris has hit back at George Russell over his grandstand at the British GP.
Lando Norris has brushed off comments from George Russell after the Mercedes driver suggested he could take over his British Grand Prix grandstand.
The 2025 world champion suggested he has “more passionate fans and a better fanbase” than his Mercedes rival following comments Russell is eyeing his own grandstand in F1 2027.
Lando Norris dismisses George Russell grandstand ambitions with blunt response
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Ahead of the weekend George Russell quipped that he’d like to see a stand in his name, mirroring what Norris has had for the past two years.
“I would like it, to be honest,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media on Thursday.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about with the team in the past and it’s probably something we’re working towards for next year.
“Where I’d like to put it, probably Lando’s got quite a good spot on the outside of Stowe, so I’ll try and steal it off him.”
Introduced last year, the Norris grandstand has expanded for F1 2026 with the outside of Stowe decked out in his signature dayglo yellow.
Norris is one of the sports three most popular drivers, with a social media following of around 12 million, versus 9 million for Russell.
In a 2021 global fan survey, the Brit was second only to Max Verstappen in terms of global appeal, while Russell didn’t feature.
However, other polls suggest the pair are far closer in terms of their popularity.
Norris, however, was nonplussed by the prospect of Russell encroaching on his grandstand next year.
“Good luck,” came the world champion’s response.
“He can do whatever he wants.
“I just have more passionate fans and a better fanbase, I think.
“Mine was more wanted from a public point of view, which is a great thing.
“But thing is, even in my grandstand, there’s a good mix of all fans, it’s not just simply fans who are here to support me, it’s a grandstand, it’s my grandstand, but at the same time it’s full of sadly some other teams and also other drivers – which I’ve got nothing against.
“He can just do whatever he wants, but he’s certainly not taking any of my seats.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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