P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1 champion Button thought THIS trait would be Norris’ ‘downfall’
In 2025, Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 champion, highlighted a personality trait he thought might hinder Lando Norris, who eventually won his maiden championship by narrowly defeating Max Verstappen.
Norris, at 26, overcame not only Verstappen but also his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who had held the championship lead for much of the season.
By winning the title in Abu Dhabi, Norris became the 11th F1 champion from the UK, succeeding Button as the last British driver to clinch the victory.
Button, from Frome, and Norris, born in Bristol, share Somerset as their home county, and Button acknowledged misjudging Norris’s candid nature, initially fearing it could impede his success in F1.
Despite Norris’s self-critical demeanor, his openness about mental health issues did not hinder his championship win, breaking stereotypes about what it takes to excel in motorsport.
