Adam Norris is a successful entrepreneur, but above all, a loving father of four. In a conversation about global impact, both of his company and his son Lando Norris. “Lando is naturally introverted.”
A busy businessman with a large international company, a vast fortune, and a son who is a Formula 1 driver. It’s at least an unusual combination. But don’t think that Adam Norris finds himself special despite all this. “If you want to make an appointment for an interview, just call or text,” he says as friendly as disarming during the Grand Prix of China. Just be normal, then you’re already crazy enough. But in a British way.
Admittedly, it takes a bit longer – it finally happens in Spain – but who cares about that. Once an appointment is made, Norris’s father turns out to be genuinely one of the nicest people you can meet in the Formula 1 paddock. Just like mother Cisca Norris, a Belgian, by the way. The couple is devoid of star attitudes, open, kind, and approachable. Pure and themselves. It turns out that this can go hand in hand with a successful life full of fame.
Sounds like? Indeed: Lando Norris, in terms of characteristics and existence. But instead of talking with the McLaren driver himself, we talk about him with his father. Who, like his son, doesn’t mince words and is wonderfully himself. With wise words about son Lando, his racing career, his open character, and the similarities and differences between entrepreneurship and top sport. And about much more, like the rest of the Norris family and his own dreams as an entrepreneur.
Succeeding
Anyone who speaks to Norris senior will quickly notice that he is not someone who settles for small goals. He thinks big and enthusiastically, thinks ahead and above all in the long term. Or as he puts it himself: “I don’t think in months or years, I think in decades.”
Adam Norris: Successful Entrepreneur and Father of a Talented Racer
Adam Norris, a successful entrepreneur and father of a talented racer, understands the importance of perseverance. “My first company handled 25 percent of all pensions in the UK. And my dream, goal, vision? That 25 percent of people worldwide use our products, just like Apple,” Norris shares. His message is clear: think big. And it’s possible, as the electric scooters from his company, PURE, are increasingly popular in many countries, generating millions in revenue and attracting millions of users.
Constantly Shifting Roles
As the father of a Formula 1 racer and the CEO of a successful company, Norris is constantly shifting roles. “For ten years, I was fully committed to Lando and his career, just as with my other children. My full-time focus is now much more on my company, even though I have a very competent team there,” he explains.
Norris continues, “But the same applies to Lando Norris‘s career, there’s not much more I can do, I don’t have a deep understanding of motorsport, of Formula 1 in all its technical aspects. He has the right people, the right team, at McLaren. So his racing career is something I’m much less involved in now.”
According to Norris, he doesn’t attend all the Grands Prix on the calendar, only about fourteen or fifteen this year. He grins, “I always try to combine it with something for work. So a meeting here or something we’re starting there.” It’s a win-win situation, combining business with pleasure. He laughs, “That’s what entrepreneurs love.”
Family Life
Of course, Norris loves his four children, whom he shares with his wife, Cisca. But his son Lando is in the spotlight due to his career as a Formula 1 driver, his performances, and especially his openness about mental challenges, self-criticism, and vulnerability.
Over the years, his son has developed into one of the most beloved drivers in Formula 1. Father Norris has watched him grow, but also notes that some traits remain the same. “Lando is naturally introverted. Through all the media attention over the years, all the interviews and press moments in racing classes and certainly in Formula 1, he has learned to communicate better. But essentially, he has always remained himself. I’m proud of that.”
What sets the McLaren driver apart from others on the grid, according to many, is his openness. Father Adam nods. “He might even be too open, people are not used to that in this sport. But Lando says what he thinks, what he feels especially. Other drivers say that too, I know. Only: not in public. And that’s a difference.” It’s not criticism, on the contrary: the father is happy with his son’s traits. “His openness is why he is so good, it’s a strength. He just openly acknowledges where he can improve or where he is vulnerable.”
Struggle
Open, natural, and above all human. That’s what makes him. Telling is the support the driver receives from all corners of the world for his openness about mental struggles. In Spain, in the fan zone, there is a young lady with a large sign and a text on it thanking Norris for his openness about mental issues. ‘You have helped me with it,’ it reads.
Father Norris explains where his son’s openness comes from. Of course, it has to do with character, with traits, personality. But also with how you are shaped as a driver. “When Lando was 12 years old, we made sure he got lessons in addressing the public, a kind of media training. But we soon stopped that. We realized that many drivers sound like robots, and we didn’t want him to become like that. Rather open. And pure.”
That his own focus is now more on entrepreneurship and less on Lando’s career means that Norris senior can mainly enjoy his son’s achievements. Together with mother Cisca, as fans, as his biggest supporters. As was seen, for example, in Monaco when Norris achieved a prestigious victory there last month.
Lasting Memory
“Because winning that Grand Prix, that’s something you’ll remember,” his father knows. “It was really great to experience, one of the highlights of his career and also for us as his parents, as his family.”
Father Norris is silent for a moment. Swallows once. And grins. No, beams. “The last time I felt something like this was when Lando became world champion in karting. That was a title that no one can take away from him. Winning Monaco is the same. That’s a memory that lasts forever.”
According to Norris, Monaco is a race that retains its value. “In cycling you have Paris-Roubaix, in Formula 1 you have Monaco. That’s the race everyone wants to win.” The victory felt like a crowning achievement. “It was a special moment, something that no one can take away from you.”
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Father Adam Norris and mother Cisca congratulate son Lando on his victory. Photo: Getty Images
Sacrifice
The victory reminded Norris senior of the early years of Lando’s career and the sacrifices made by the family. “Sometimes parents give up on the careers of talented children because it involves too many weekends of hard work. We didn’t have a real vacation for seven years. We were always traveling to Spain, Germany, to the racetrack. We made the best of it, enjoying it together.”
Even within the family, a division of attention was necessary. “My eldest son also raced, so that was easy. My daughters were into horse riding, so often my wife and daughters would travel for that sport and I would go with the boys for racing.”
Business
A successful business and a successful sports career have one thing in common: a strong team of people. “Both in my business and in Lando’s career, it’s all about a good team. I have better engineers in my business than I do, better marketing people, and the same goes for Lando.”
He often compares his business to Formula 1: “It’s about teamwork and continuous improvement. You have to keep looking for small gains.” According to Norris, this is the key to success, both on the track and in the offices and boardrooms. “I’m not Lando’s coach, I’m not his trainer, but I’ve always made sure he had the right people around him. Just like in my business, I make sure I employ the best people.”
Yet, Norris senior always remained involved in Lando’s development. “From the age of twelve, we hired a sports scientist for his guidance. He had the right people around him. I was there as a father, but of course, I was not his trainer.”
Ambition
As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear why senior Norris is a good, involved, and loving father. But what makes this affable British man in his fifties such a successful entrepreneur? He takes us into his world: for him, success is not about speed – a funny contrast with Formula 1, but that aside – but about endurance.
“I think more in decades than in years. My real ambition is to reach the whole world with our products. And that’s not an ambition you just execute, it takes time to build a global company.”
The same applies to motorsport, he says. So the comparison still holds. “People expect a driver to achieve success quickly, but even Lando Norris took 17 years to win Monaco. So in both business and motorsport, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon; a long journey.”
Norris believes in constant improvement. “You always have to keep looking at where you can get better. That applies to Lando, but also to myself. I want to make my company as big as the best companies in the world.”
Crowning Achievement
Norris is not someone who wants or can sit still. His company continues to grow and expand into new markets. “Where do I see my company in ten years or even 25 years? As a globally successful company with millions of satisfied users of our products.” A laugh sounds. “Then I’ll be 79, I realize now as I say this, haha! But well, I already said: I think in decades, not in years.”
How would son Lando’s Formula 1 career have gone by then? “The world title would of course be the crowning achievement,” says senior Norris. “But either way, his career is a journey, a beautiful and valuable journey, a long journey with hopefully a championship as the final destination. Every race, every victory, is a step in that direction.”
However, it’s about more than just a goal. “For example, I don’t just want a successful company, I want to build something that has an impact. Just like Lando wants to make his name in Formula 1.” And whether the latter is rewarded with a world title is another matter. Norris is now, and will be in the future, a happy, joyful, and proud father. “Of all my children, including Lando.”
