The High Performance Podcast

Episode: How Lando Norris Found Purpose Long Before F1

Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Damian Hughes, Will (Producer)
Guest: Lando Norris

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Damian Hughes and producer Will dive into the story of Formula One driver Lando Norris, exploring how he found deep purpose in his path to F1 — long before ever sitting in the driver’s seat. The episode reflects on the psychology of work, examining the distinction between seeing work as a job, career, or calling, and how reframing our approach can unlock resilience, trust, and fulfillment, even outside glamorous professions. Through Norris’s candid reflections and practical lessons, the conversation highlights the unseen sacrifices, moments of self-doubt, and—crucially—the role of joy in sustaining high performance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lando’s Early Approach: Contributing Before Leading

• Lando Norris, before becoming a McLaren F1 driver, committed himself wholeheartedly as a junior member of the team, staying after races to help mechanics dismantle the garage and pack up equipment.
  • Quote:
    "Before I was the driver, race driver for McLaren, then I would stay with the mechanics... I would pack up the garage and take the car apart after the races..."
    — Lando Norris [03:17]
• Lando’s willingness to do “grunt work”—not for prestige but out of genuine respect for his team—laid foundations of trust crucial to his later success.

2. The Psychology of Work: Job, Career, or Calling?

• Damian Hughes introduces Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski’s research on how people see their work:

  • Job: Work as a means to an end (paycheck).
  • Career: Focus on progress and promotion.
  • Calling: Work feels meaningful; it is intertwined with identity.

• Lando exemplified a "calling" mentality by turning mundane tasks into opportunities for collaboration and purpose.

  • Quote:
    "...how much if I help them, how much they can help me, and just the improvements you can get from doing that."
    — Lando Norris [03:45]
  • Quote:
    "You don't wait for meaning to show up. Instead you create it in the way that you approach the work."
    — Damian Hughes [08:01]

• Job Crafting: Hughes explains how anyone, in any role, can reframe their tasks to find meaning, becoming proactive in shaping their work’s purpose.

3. Specific Practices to Reframe Work

• Damian Hughes presents three actionable strategies:
  1. Rewrite your job description. Find purpose in even mundane tasks.
  2. Find the “why.” Consider how your work impacts others.
  3. Invest in relationships. Meaning emerges through bonds of trust and service.

4. Sacrifices Made for F1: Social Trade-Offs

• Lando describes losing touch with childhood friends due to his dedication to racing, recognizing the “price he paid” for high-level commitment.
  • Quote:
    “I don’t really have any friends from school and from growing up. Like, all my friends are now from... just from racing, from karting and so on... That’s the life I didn’t live. But I never changed that for what I got now.”
    — Lando Norris [20:16]
• Damian reflects on the necessity of being aware of such trade-offs for anyone pursuing excellence.

5. Vulnerability and Self-Doubt at the Top

• Lando openly discusses battling self-doubt at various levels (F3, F2, and first year in F1), facing the fear of not being good enough and the pressure of carrying others’ expectations.
  • Quote:
    "Am I better than them? Am I the same as them? Am I a little bit worse? Like, am I good enough to be in Formula One?"
    — Lando Norris [22:36]
  • He shares the emotional burden of fearing failure amid high expectations from his family and team.
• Hughes emphasizes the power of leaders showing vulnerability, cultivating psychological safety and openness in teams.

6. The Role of Enjoyment and Joy in Sustaining Performance

• Lando highlights that enjoyment—not pressure—is his main motivator, which creates a positive feedback loop between effort and satisfaction.

  • Quote:
    “The one thing for me that motivates me more than anything is enjoyment and just fun... If I’m enjoying something, it makes me work harder and makes me want it more. And then it’s that positive spiral.”
    — Lando Norris [27:00]
  • During periods of lost enjoyment, his support network encouraged him to prioritize fun and life outside the sport, helping him regain perspective and motivation.

• Damian links this to Barbara Fredrickson’s research: enjoyment broadens perspective, helping performers maintain creativity and flexibility even under immense pressure.

7. Challenging Misconceptions: Seriousness vs. Sincerity

• Will and Damian discuss how smiling, joy, and playfulness in elite sport are sometimes misperceived as lacking “killer instinct,” contrasting Lando’s approach to the traditional “warrior” mentality.
  • Quote:
    "Take it sincerely, not seriously... it’s not about enjoying it and not taking it seriously; it’s about being sincere in the moment."
    — Damian Hughes citing Ali Abdul [31:57]
• Joy and sincerity do not exclude high standards or commitment; they can enhance learning, resilience, and the overall experience.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lando Norris on Team Values:
  "I knew like the values of people and how much of a difference that can make..." [03:45]
• Damian Hughes on Meaning:
  "You don't wait for meaning to show up. Instead you create it in the way that you approach the work." [08:01]
• Lando Norris on Sacrifice:
  "...I don’t really have any friends from school... That’s the life I didn’t live. But I never changed that for what I got now." [20:16]
• Lando Norris on Self-Doubt:
  "...am I good enough to be in Formula 1... if this goes wrong... what am I going to do? Because this is all I've lived for my whole life..." [22:36]
• Lando Norris on Enjoyment:
  "If I’m enjoying something, it makes me work harder and makes me want it more. And then it’s that a positive spiral..." [27:00]
• Damian Hughes citing Ali Abdul:
  "Take it sincerely, not seriously." [31:57]

Important Timestamps

• [03:17] – Lando on helping McLaren mechanics and learning team values
• [08:01] – Damian Hughes on job, career, and calling; job crafting explained
• [20:16] – Lando opens up about sacrificing a typical social life for racing
• [22:36] – Lando talks about self-doubt and pressure during his rise to F1
• [27:00] – Lando explains why enjoyment is his main driver for performance
• [31:57] – Discussion on the importance of sincerity versus seriousness

Episode Takeaways

• Purpose comes from within: Lando’s journey shows how finding meaning, supporting others, and “job crafting” can make any work meaningful, regardless of glamour or seniority.
• High performance requires sacrifice: Elite success often comes with trade-offs—social, emotional, and personal—that are important to recognize and reflect upon.
• Openness and vulnerability are strengths: Lando’s honest insight into self-doubt and pressure offers a model for healthy leadership and resilience.
• Enjoyment fuels excellence: Prioritizing joy, even under pressure, is a legitimate—and powerful—source of motivation and creativity.
• Redefining seriousness: Sincerity, not relentless seriousness, allows for both excellence and fulfillment in any high-pressure pursuit.

This episode offers practical wisdom and inspiring storytelling, reminding listeners that fulfillment in work—and life—stems not just from what we do, but from how we choose to see and do it.