Norris a real role model, says former champ Vettel

FOUR-TIMES world champion Sebastian Vettel praised Lando Norris as a “real role model” yesterday and said the Formula One leader's open self-criticism was a strength rather than a weakness.

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McLaren’s Norris, who leads Australian teammate Oscar Piastri by three points going into Sunday’s fifth round of the season in Saudi Arabia, blamed himself rather than the team after a scrappy Bahrain weekend.

The Briton said he was “clueless” in qualifying, had made too many mistakes in the race — starting with a false start from sixth and finishing third - and struggled to feel comfortable with the car.

The old way of thinking in F1 was to hide such vulnerability, lest rivals use it as a psychological weapon, but Vettel, who retired in 2022, said Norris reflected a new attitude.

“I think it’s a positive development because we are normal people,” the German, speaking from Saudi Arabia before a karting event he organises to help young women into motorsport, said.

“We do have normal problems just like everybody else.