F1 champion snaps at 'pathetic' Lando Norris £1 billion insult

Lando Norris in the Abu Dhabi paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 champion snaps at 'pathetic' Lando Norris £1 billion insult

Lando Norris is the newest F1 champion

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Tuesday 9 December 2025 20:12

F1 champion Damon Hill has defended Lando Norris on social media over remarks related to his upbringing and his family's wealth.

Norris was crowned as the sport's latest champion on Sunday after he beat Max Verstappen to the title by just two points.

There were emotional shots of Norris with his parents, Adam and Cisca, as well as interviews with both his mum and dad.

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His father, Adam, has earned himself somewhat of a small fortune. His net worth is believed to be around £200million, and he ranked 610th on the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List.

This wealth prompted the official X account of 'Have I Got News For You', a satirical news quiz on the BBC, to make a thinly-veiled swipe at Norris.

"Lando Norris’ World Championship win is a true Formula 1 underdog story: he came from relative poverty, with his parents struggling to make ends meet on less than a billion pounds," they wrote.

This tongue-in-cheek post is in keeping with the show's usual close to the bone comedy. However, 1996 F1 champion Hill was having none of it and hit back with a brutal reply.

"Oh Sweet Jesus. I didn't expect this from you guys. Really? Pathetic," he wrote back.

"The kid literally had no life other than racing and working towards winning. So we should all start in the slums should we? Like you did. Eh? Lets have a closer look at your story."

Lando Norris' family sacrifices

Despite the wealth that Norris' family might have, the newly-crowned F1 champion pointed out that sacrifice comes in many forms.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Everything is different for everyone. So the sacrifices you've made are just very different sacrifices to all the people in the world have made. So I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me.

"But still as a family you want to spend time together. And that's something we've not really done a lot of since I started when I was like seven, eight years old.

"My dad was taking me everywhere. I spent a lot more time with my dad than I did with my mum. My mum was at home looking after my sisters.

"I see my mum 20 days a year maybe, something like that. Which is not a lot.

"But certainly winning and having the achievement we did yesterday made everything feel more worth it, all those times away.

"One thing that everyone wants to do, is make their parents proud. So the fact I got to do that yesterday, I hope make them even more proud, is the best thing you can ask for."

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Lando Norris Damon Hill