Lando Norris couldn’t resist poking fun at Travis Kelce for investing in a rival Formula 1 team.
Norris met the Kansas City Chiefs star at the Miami Grand Prix, which was attended by a swathe of famous faces. But none of it compared to a first F1 race victory at the 110th attempt for Norris.
The Briton beat Max Verstappen to victory by more than seven seconds as McLaren ‘s huge upgrade paid off. And Norris received congratulations from fans around the globe – including plenty of well-known celebrities.
Norris was asked specifically about NFL star Kelce during an appearance on BBC Radio 1 to mark his maiden victory. Speaking to host Greg James, the 24-year-old said there were “a fair few” superstars who got in touch after his win.
And when James specifically mentioned Kelce, who is among several sporting heroes who have invested in Alpine, Norris took the chance to poke fun at the fact McLaren’s recent rivals have suffered the complete opposite fortunes of late.
“He’s invested in the wrong team, first of all,” joked Norris. While McLaren have emerged from the midfield to become a top-three team, Alpine’s competitiveness has waned and they have scored just one point so far this season.
Asked about Kelce being “an Alpine guy”, Norris continued: “Yeah… that’s gone well! Each to their own. A lot of people know about Travis now, especially after the Super Bowl and everything.”
Joking aside, Norris went on to add that he had enjoyed spending some time with Kelce, who is famously dating music megastar Taylor Swift. And he expressed a hope that he can land some tickets to one of her concerts now he is on a first-name basis with her boyfriend.
Norris said: “I met him, I was out at dinner, I had to get some food in me after the race and he was there. One of my friends introduced me to him and he was an awesome guy, he was a legend, he was very sweet and we exchanged numbers and hopefully I can get to a game one day. Or a Taylor Swift concert!”
Norris’ win in Miami propelled him up the drivers’ standings and he now shares fourth place with Carlos Sainz. He will have to get the better of Verstappen plenty more times this year if he harbours title ambitions in 2024, though, with the gap to the Dutchman still standing at 53 points.