McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris is moving from Great Britain to Monaco

The young Briton has long refused to join other F1 drivers in the Monaco tax haven, despite the clear cash advantages, and has pledged to live near the McLaren factory in Woking.

But after Norris established himself in Grand Prix racing and renewed his McLaren contract earlier this year, Norris now sees the perfect opportunity for change.

“It’s something that obviously a lot of drivers do, and especially with the way it is racing, we’ve seen other drivers go downhill fast and so on,” said Norris.

“I have to take care of my things for my future.”

Monaco is home to a number of F1 drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo.

Norris says staying in the UK was important to him early in his career to be close to McLaren, but such closeness is not essential now.

Because at the end of his third season in Grand Prix racing, he believes he has reached a stage where he can act more remotely.

“There was a lot more of me and my career to win to be with McLaren and get in whenever I wanted,” he said.

“Whenever I had a bad weekend, I could just go into the simulator any day to try things out, talk to my engineers, and so on. And I love England. It’s probably still my favorite place.

“My family is there, my friends are there. And I think I have often said that for me, having fun and enjoying what I do takes precedence over such decisions.

“So it’s not an easy decision. And I haven’t thought about that for many years.

“I just feel like I’m in a comfortable place right now to make that decision and spend the time moving there. I can still see a lot of my friends and my family will stop by.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“So many things will stay exactly the same. I just live in a different place. Maybe I won’t play golf as much, which is probably the biggest downside. But there are a few places nearby that I can” go and play and so on.

“So not an easy decision. But it’s still a life decision and there are so many things that change from it.”

While Norris is not hiding from the financial motivation of his move, he says he is aware that some could criticize him for it.

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“Of course I will understand and there will be [criticisms] sure, “he said.” But people do many things in life for money. It’s just someone else. “

But he is also aware that he will still stay in touch with his fans online.

“I can still stream on Twitch and all,” he said. “My interaction with fans won’t change at all. Max did a couple of streams, so this page won’t change.

“I think everything I do in everyday life will be exactly the same. My number of days at McLaren and so on will likely be higher than last year because of the many new rules.” . “