#rrrahhhhhh

intro

hiii again!

before you, the reader, go any further, there are a few things i'd like to say. some are not really important and others are vvv important (at least to me!).

first the not so important things: how i came to know about lando and eventually max isn't a mystery. i've probably mentioned it in passing on a tag or two or twenty. if you're interested, i'm happy to talk about it (my inbox is always open :D).

ok, now, one of the important parts...

part 004 touches on themes that might be heavy for some ppl, especially around mental health and max's own struggles when he stepped away from racing. i will not add my own speculation, i will just be sharing his words, but i know from my own experience how reading about these things can sometimes feel harder than expected. so pls if you ever find it difficult, remember you don't have to push through. take care of yourself and step back if you need to.

ok, with that being said, here's the other important thing i mentioned in the previous volume.

i'm fully aware that this involves two real ppl: individuals with lives and complexities i'll never fully understand and i know pretty much of their stories belongs only to them and some moments will always stay between them and not for the rest of us to know so this primer doesn't pretend to have all the answers! what this does try to do is trace the story i've seen from the outside (after hearing / watching / reading stuff about them) so keep in mind that it will "begin" when they're still kids in karts (vol. i already posted here), and it "ends" with them as adults (vol. iii not posted yet) who, for better or worse, have grown up in the spotlight, together and apart.

there's a lot of information here even if it's divided into 7 parts (here you will find part 003 & part 004)... and i've done my best to summarise each section in the paragraphs that follow the titles, so you can get a sense of what's coming :) so feel free to engage with as much or as little as you'd like! take what you need and pls pls pls skip what you don't!

also pls keep in mind that this is meant for reading or discussion within fandom spaces, not for interaction with the real ppl involved so pls do not post or reference anything from here in max or lando's socmed accs comment sections <3

lastly: if your blog is mentioned here or if i've linked smth you posted and you'd prefer i didn't, just lmk and i'll remove it :D

ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎

003. parallel lines (2015-2019)

this section covers the years lando and max moved through the same world, side by side, aligned but slightly apart.

let's start with 2015

lando and max made the jump into single seaters!

lando debuted in msa formula (british f4) with carlin which resulted in an incredible season: 8 win (he won from p10 once!), 10 pole positions, 14 podiums and the championship title with a race to spare! lando thanked trevor carlin and the rest of the carlin team for all their work this year (and then trevor 5 years later said that lando had all the signs of a star).

plus one thing that stands out from that season is that even with his own career shifting gears, max made time to follow lando's races and he proudly tweeted about it after setting up his new tv rig, all of that while he was still busy bc max transitioned from karting into mrf challenge formula 2000 by autum, making his first single seaters race appearance in abu dhabi! he also earned a rookie podium (he finished 4th but due to a penalty he ended up 3rd) in dubai (round 3). but even before that, as early as september, he had already been behind the wheel of a carlin car, the very same that had carried lando to victory and ofc, lando was keeping an eye on his friend, he not only liked the igposts of max testing, but also teased him about how nice the carlin looked and how he better not crash it.

he then formally aligned with infinity sports management, setting up his debut for 2016 in british f4 with carlin placing himself on a path parallel with lando.

max and lando interacting on socmed and joking about the n31 carlin #wagon via max fewtrell socmed accs

2016

after a strong first year in cars, lando kept up the momentum and stayed with carlin, moving up to race in the toyota racing series in new zealand, a short championship that gave him valuable experience in a more powerful car and he won it on his first try!

max stepped into the same seat lando had just won the title with the year before. and it was a competitive season for him but he kept it consistent and collected wins at donington and croft. and then he finished the year as the champion!

and here's a max fewtrell 2025 fun fact: he and lando both won in the same #31 carlin car!

another not-so-funny fact: max in 2020 admitted that with just three or four rounds left, he had a meeting at the renault f1 factory where they told him point blank, “if you win the title, we'll take you. if not, you probably won't hear from us again.” heavy pressure for a teenager, but he turned it into motivation, clinched the f4 title, got the call from renault, and that's how he wrote a future next chapter of his career.

2015 msa formula champion lando norris and 2016 british f4 champion max fewtrell with the carlin team #boysinblue via alamyphotos website

back in europe, lando took on a busy calendar, racing in both formula renault 2.0 nec and eurocup with josef kaufmann racing. it was a packed season, but a successful one: he won both titles! that same year lando won one of the coolest things ever and he became the 28th winner of the mclaren autosport brdc award: a big deal for a young driver which came with a mcl f1 test, a simulator role, brdc membership and a custom carbon helmet.

2017

max annouced that he was now part of the renault sport academy and moved up to formula renault eurocup with tech 1 racing, a big step both in car and competition. it wasn't always smooth: a few dnfs and a tough start made the season a learning curve but he ended strong with a podium at the nürburgring and finished 6th overall, placing ahead of a few more experienced names and showing he could grow into the pace.

things were moving quickly for lando since he joined the mclaren young driver programme and moved up to the f3 championship with carlin. it was a competitive field but he found his rhythm fast. he won 9 races and took the title as a rookie (and max congratulated him for it)

max congratulating carlin and lando for the f3 title via max fewtrell on twt

max followed closely behind, nominated for the same brdc award lando won the previous year. he made it to the final and was runner up but the title went to dan ticktum that year along with the mcl simulator role for 2018, as well as the test in a mcl f1 car. and at the same ceremony lando won the national driver of the year award.

1. lando norris on stage to accept the national driver of the year award 2. autosports awards 2017 finalists helmets display (max's helmet included) 3. a simplified look at autosports awards 2016 & 2017 highlights via getty images website [1,2] and summary graphic(?) i made after spending a bit of my time on the autosport website

alongside that, lando also made his f2 debut at the final round in abu dhabi, a quiet weekend on paper but a clear signal of where he was headed :')

2018

max returned to eurocup, this time with the r-ace gp team and everything sort of clicked. he was quick from the start, taking wins in monaco, spa, red bull ring and hockenheim. the title fight was close but he kept his cool and wrapped up the championship in the final round. while lando stepped into f2 with carlin and for him it was a solid season: he won the opening race in bahrain and spent much of the year in title contention. in the end, he finished runner up to george russell but he'd shown enough. around the same time, he started to become a familiar face in the f1 paddock, testing for mcl, making his f1 race weekend debut in the belgian gp's fp1, and preparing himself for the 2019 season, after being announced as part of the mcl driver line up (#lando19)

later, in december, the bdrc celebrated the best of british motorsport at the annual awards. among the winners was max, who received the henry surtees award for the most outstanding performance by a bdrc rising star (#maxfewtrellisastar pass it on).

lando also received recognition that night for securing his mcl f1 seat but he didn't attend :)

that same week the autosport annual awards took place, where max was nominated for the 2nd time in the highlight of the ceremony: mcl brdc award winner. a prize that was going to be handed on stage by none other than lando (and george russell). unfortunately for max, the winner was someone else. kudos to tom gamble tho.

1. max with his award at the brdc ceremeony 2. brdc awards 2018 list of winners (obvi focused on max and lando) 3. lando on stage after handing the mcl brdc award to tg. via max on ig [1], brdc website [2] & gettyimages [3]

2019

max moved into f3 with art grand prix, fresh off the back of his 2018 eurocup championship. the season was competitive and while it didn't deliver a title, it brought some standout moments: he claimed two podiums, a second place in the hungaroring race 1 (an art 1-2 behind christian lundgaard) and another second place result at spielberg race 1!

in august max was given the opportunity to drive a renault r.s.17 f1 car in a closed test sesh at circuit de barcelona-catalunya in spain :) and he mentioned to his management team (infinity sports management) that he knew strong performances in his racing (on track) would naturally lead to more opportunities!

meanwhile lando made his f1 debut with mcl when he was still only 19 but he quickly earned respect on and off the track. he struggled in his rookie szn (and "no one is perfect") but he brought so many points (#landoints), strong quali performances and a bit of fun to the grid. it was the end or the beginning of something bigger! the first step in a journey that had been building quietly, race by race, since karting days :')

ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎

004. the end or the beginning of something bigger (2020)

this section cover the year lando and max seemed to move through different worlds. not side by side, but drifting, almost inevitably, apart.

again: this part includes max's words about his mental health and the challenges he faced while taking a step away from racing. skip this if it feels heavy.

after returning from his dubai trip with his friend connor (orangeman), lando spent a night playing golf with max (and a few friends) and posted him on ig stories, right before mcl pre season tests for f1 kicked off. <- soon after, however, the global pandemic hit: motorsport events and competitions were either cancelled or postponed (including f1 ofc and the start of the 2020 f3 season was also delayed after the fia postponed 3 more f1 grand prix events.

in march 2020, some f1 drivers entered virtual versions of several gps, and lando used the unexpected off season to dive into twitch streaming (months later he joked about being a full time streamer and the youngest podium finisher. #austrianorris 2020 podium) where he built a community and laid the foundations for a new project.

and after f1 revealed the first eight races of its revised 2020 calendar, f2 and f3 also set their return for july so lando and max were finally back to racing again.

but max was about to navigate one of his most challenging on track chapters.

he moved to hitech grand prix for his 2nd season in f3 but after a promising start in bahrain, the season didn't unfold as planned and the pressure began to weigh on him. he (years later) admitted that the poor qualifying and race results impacted his confidence, something he had always relied on keeping steady under pressure.

he admitted that he couldn't see it getting any better and with 3 rounds to go, running twentieth in the f3 championship, max and hitech agreed to part ways before the race weekend in spa. and then he announced that he was leaving the f3 grid.

it wasn't the season max expected (<- timestamp 08:53):

max 5 years later talking about not being a racing driver anymore, when he stopped enjoying racing and how he didn't plan to retire from racing via quadcast ep. 01 on yt

which leads us somehow to lando bc max mentioned once they got single seaters they weren't as close as they were in karting bc they were so focused in their own careers, in their own paths, and they didn't distance each other that much but he didn't reach out for lando after or before deciding to retire from the f3 grid. it was his own decision and there's was not much anyone else could really said to him (to make him change that decision) (<- timestamp 12:10) but then again lando knew that max weren't doing "a lot" during that time and when lando founded team quadrant, not your typical brand, but a gaming, content and lifestyle brand and he framed it as something he'd “wanted to do for a long while,” and lockdown simply accelerated the idea into reality, he told max about it and how nice it would be to have a mate on there.

team quadrant was launched on november 6th! and it gave max a purpose again, something to chase, something to work on. (<- timestamp 17:32)

during this year, even though they weren't particularly close, they played cod together and max would sometimes pop up on lando's twitch streams.

but also once restrictions eased, they'd see each other in person too, sharing their small golf seshs with connor on ig.

max, lando and connor playing golf via connor and max on ig

you could call it the end, but honestly, it felt more like the start of something bigger.

ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎

all the sources would be properly credited at the end of vol. iii like in a proper list i will link all the interviews, podcasts, vids and pics. right now about 95% are just linked here so yeah… i mean y'all can still click on them tho :D

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thanks if you made it this far and read everything