Norris left shaking by Landostand reception as he starts sixth at home British GP

Lando Norris arrived at the British Grand Prix grid in an emotional state on Sunday, overwhelmed by the reception from fans filling his dedicated Landostand grandstand at Stowe corner, Silverstone — though the McLaren driver will need to make up ground after qualifying sixth.

“There’s a lot of yellow! Even Carlos said, ‘Oh my God!’ It’s unbelievable. It’s amazing to see so many people here. I’m shaking a little bit. This is crazy!” Norris said, standing in front of the branded grandstand. “It’s a beautiful feeling. This is unlike anything normal in life. I don’t think anyone appreciates how much this all means to someone to stand here and see so many people. It’s really beautiful.”

Despite starting from sixth, Norris was bullish about his ambitions for his home race. “We will accept nothing but a win today! Maybe that’s a bit unrealistic, but I will put on a good show. We had a good show yesterday with P3 in the sprint,” he said.

First introduced in 2025 as a dedicated grandstand for the reigning champion, the sold-out Landostand returned for 2026 with a purpose-built viewing area and a fan zone offering exclusive merchandise to ticketholders. Norris noted that the stand draws a broad mix of supporters, not exclusively his own fanbase.

Mercedes driver George Russell added some light-hearted rivalry to the occasion, hinting he would like a similar setup of his own. “I would like it, to be honest — it’s something we’ve spoken about with the team in the past,” Russell said. “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.”

Norris was quick to respond. “Good luck! He can do whatever he wants. I just have, I think, more passionate fans and a better fanbase. So mine was more wanted from a public point of view, which is a great thing.”

The banter belies a tighter championship picture. Norris sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with 85 points — just two ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth — after a difficult start to the 2026 season for McLaren. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton leads the way in third, 47 points clear of Norris.