"You'll be the top man soon" - Captain Tom hails Norris

McLaren

"You'll be the top man soon" - Captain Tom hails Norris

Ian Parkes

Tuesday 21 April 2020 17:56

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Captain Tom Moore, the 99-year-old war veteran who has raised millions of pounds for the NHS, believes Lando Norris is en route to the top in Formula 1.

It was all part of an engaging chat between the duo on McLaren's Instagram page, with Norris formally inviting Capt Tom to a tour of McLaren's headquarters in Woking to thank him for his remarkable achievements.

Capt Tom had originally set out to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, on April 30.

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But once word of Capt Tom's exploits went viral, the veteran became a national hero and has now raised £27million.

It later came to light that Capt Tom has long been a McLaren fan, prompting Norris to put in a call and ensure he is given the full red-carpet treatment at some point in the future.

"From my side, and from everyone at McLaren, we want to say a big congratulations for everything that you've done," said Norris.

"It's my honour that I get to speak to someone like you, Captain Tom, who has achieved things which very few manage to achieve - ever, in their lifetime, especially at 99 years old, coming to 100, that's another big achievement.

"We would like to invite you eventually, whenever you want, to McLaren for a little tour, a big tour, whatever you want, of our whole facility.

"It's a pretty big place, so I'm sure you're going to have to do a lot more walking, but from the looks of it, I'm sure you can do that, which is cool."

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Watch what happened when @LandoNorris gave @captaintommoore a call at the weekend to say hello and share how incredible we think his achievement is. ?? #WalkWithTom #TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay #McLaren

A post shared by McLaren (@mclaren) on Apr 20, 2020 at 10:18am PDT

Capt Tom then replied: "Nothing would bring me more pleasure than that. It would be absolutely phenomenal for me to come round McLaren because I've been a McLaren fan for a very long time and I still am."

After Norris conceded McLaren was doing all it can "to get back to winning races", Capt Tom offered the 20-year-old words of encouragement.

"I've every hope for you," he said. "I remember when McLaren was right at the top, and I'm sure that's where you'll get again.

"If you keep on driving as well as you've been doing, you will be the top man, too."