Damon Hill slams ‘pathetic’ criticism of Lando Norris’s wealthy upbringing

British driver Norris claimed his maiden Formula 1 world championship in Abu Dhabi on Sunday

Damon Hill has slammed a “pathetic” social media post taking aim at Lando Norris’s wealthy childhood in the wake of his F1 title victory on Sunday.

Norris needed just a podium to secure the title and finished third in Abu Dhabi, finishing two points clear of closest rival Max Verstappen to become Britain’s 11th F1 world champion.

Norris, whose father Adam has a net worth estimated at £200m, was keen to emphasise after the race how he was proud of winning the title “his way”, after a topsy-turvy campaign.

Lando Norris celebrates winning the Formula One world championship (David Davies/PA) (PA Media)

Yet 1996 F1 world champion Hill was unimpressed by a sarcastic post on X by the official ‘Have I Got News For You’ page, which depicted Norris as a “true F1 underdog story”, with his parents “struggling to make ends meet on less than a billion pounds.”

In response, Hill said: “Oh Sweet Jesus. I didn’t expect this from you guys. Really? Pathetic.

“The kid literally had no life other than racing and working towards winning. So we should all start in the slums should we? Like you did? Eh? Let’s have a closer look at your story…”

Adam Norris founded the company Pensions Direct in 1998 and, when Hargreaves Lansdown acquired the business, he walked away with a stake of around £187m in 2008. He then retired, aged 36, and threw all of his efforts into his son’s karting endeavours.

Both Adam and Norris’s mother Cisca were present trackside on Sunday to celebrate their son’s triumph, when he became McLaren’s first drivers’ champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Norris paid tributes to his parents numerous times in interviews afterwards.

“All those years ago, when I saw F1 on the TV and I saw a go-kart for the first time, those memories were there on the last couple of laps,” Norris said.

“It took me back to where it all started. I wouldn’t be here without my parents, the sacrifices they’ve made, my brothers and sisters, just everything that goes into achieving what we all achieved today.

“This is not my world championship. This is ours.”