In 2021, it may feel relatively normal to see racing drivers turning on their cameras and broadcasting to thousands of fans on Twitch. However, the landscape wouldn't be anywhere near as populated today if it wasn't for pioneers like Lando Norris, who first started streaming many years ago as a way to connect with his fans. Here is all you need to know about the British driver's Twitch exploits - why it matters, and how Norris has grown a brand off the track that is just as influential as his presence on it.
Where it all began
Norris hasn't always been the fun, confident driver that we see him as today. On the contrary in fact, many observes noted how shy a character he was before the 21-year-old stepped into F1. One of the main reasons for his growth in confidence is surely his near-constant streaming, which began several years ago. He first shot to fame within motor racing circles in 2017, when a picture of a dejected Lando sitting on the side of a track became a viral meme. Rather than retreating, he instead decided to embrace the joke, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to engage with his growing fan base. He would start streaming on Twitch not long afterward, meaning that he entered F1 in 2019 as one of the most well-known rookies the sport had ever seen.
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The circuit that gave us the first Lando Norris meme gives us the first Lando Norris podium. Poetry. #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/qglDME0EkZ — Charlie Eustice (@🏠) (@CGEustice) July 5, 2020
Gaining a loyal fan base
After joining McLaren, his popularity spiked massively. With a newfound sense of confidence and a jovial personality to match, it isn't hard to see why so many fans warmed to him. The young driver enjoyed a fine debut season in F1, but it wasn't until 2020 - when racing was temporarily halted - that his off-track activities really began to take off. With no real-world racing of note to watch in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers took to Twitch and other streaming platforms to share their adventures in cyberspace. At the very forefront of this was Norris, who already had a sizeable following from years of streaming live. Over the coming months, he would attract hundreds of thousands of new viewers to his Twitch channel. As of March 2020, he has 775k subscribers.
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https://youtu.be/UZDb4BkbUhM
The Twitch quartet
The beauty of creating a movement is that once you break new ground, others will soon follow. In the middle of 2020, as fans lamented the lack of real-world motorsport action, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon and George Russell joined Lando in streaming on Twitch and YouTube. The iconic quartet would stream the F1 2020 video game, as well as Assetto Corsa - a popular racing simulation. Many a popular F1 meme originated from these gaming sessions, including Alex Albon screaming "GEORGE" whenever Russell took him out. For fans, it was the perfect way to get to know Albon, Leclerc and Russell, whom we didn't know too much about beforehand.
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https://youtu.be/ohW3-QvLbM0
Collaborations and mainstream recognition
A sign of just how big and well-known Norris has become in the world of streaming is the fact that he has collaborated with some of the world's biggest content creators. In January 2020, he took American vlogger Casey Neistat for a spin in a McLaren road car, with that video now sitting on over three million views on YouTube. He then linked up with the UK's biggest YouTube group, the Sidemen, for an Among Us stream. Being invited to feature on a video alongside the likes of KSI and Wroetoshaw - who have well over 40 million YouTube subscribers between them - speaks volumes of how far Lando has come. Crossover appeal into the mainstream is something that only the greatest F1 drivers usually achieve. Incredibly, Norris has managed to accomplish this before winning a championship or even a race.
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https://youtu.be/3iS-epB4pSw
Revolutionising F1
Simply put, Norris has helped revolutionise F1 - and the way we see F1 drivers forever. In years gone by, fans only got to engage with their favourite racers via slick PR teams, who often controlled most of their content output. The 21-year-old's marathon streams are the most authentic window you are likely to find into a driver's life. The fact that so many others, including Max Verstappen and Nicholas Latifi, have since started to stream, is a testament to his impact on the sport. It isn't just frivolous fun either. Over the past 12 months, Norris has founded Quadrant - his own eSports and content creator team, as well as raising thousands of pounds for charitable causes. A video of Lando shaving his hair off for charity can be found below, which further illustrates the real-world impact that the McLaren man continues to have. Long may it continue.
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https://youtu.be/gxx1ohkB5VA
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