Lando Norris hides from camera after calling Lewis Hamilton 8-time world champ

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    Lando Norris called Lewis Hamilton an eight-time F1 world champion during a recent Twitch stream, referencing the controversial manner in which Hamilton was pipped to the 2021 world title by Max Verstappen.

    Hamilton looked set to win the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi and claim the world championship, before Nicholas Latifi crashed and the safety car was brought out. Then race director Michael Masi then allowed the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves before restarting the race, with Verstappen taking advantage of his fresher tires to overtake Hamilton, win the race and claim a maiden F1 world title.

    The FIA later ruled Masi had made an "error" in his application of the rules that led to the controversial finish, but Verstappen's title win was upheld. However, the incident remains contentious among fans and many Hamilton supporters still refer to him as an eight-time world champion.

    And while showing off his collection of F1 helmets on stream, Norris did the same thing before realising what he had done and ducking down to hide from the camera. In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Norris points to the helmet he wore during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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    "This one here is when Lewis won his eighth world championship," he explains, before immediately stopping himself mid-sentence and attempting to awkwardly laugh it off.

    Both he and Verstappen are close friends away from the sport, with the Dutchman calling Norris his "best friend on the grid" just last month. "I get on really well with Lando because he is just himself and normal," he told the Daily Mail.

    "He is my best friend on the grid. He loves what he is doing. I could see clearly from years ago in go-karting that he was very quick — though we never raced against each other.

    "Everything just came to him really naturally as a driver. Good performances were not just one-offs or hit and miss; he was always up at the front. So it was clear he was always going to be here.

    "Some people are quick but don't know why or how to explain it. Lando knows what he is doing, and that is good for McLaren. When he first joined Formula One he was a bit overwhelmed.

    "Lando can be a little shy but he is a super nice guy and you can see, from year one to now, how he has grown as a person — and that helps his performance because he has more confidence in himself."

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    • Lewis Hamilton
    • Max Verstappen
    • Lando Norris
    • F1

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