Lando Norris feels "more nervous" sim racing than in real-life F1

McLaren driver Norris has been prolific in sim racing for a number of years, and is heavily engaged in a number of Esports events while the F1 season is on hold.

Norris took victory in the first Veloce Pro Series event co-produced by Motorsport Games last weekend against a field containing a mixture of professional racers and Esports stars.

Speaking about his preparations for Esports events, Norris revealed that the lack of adrenaline from driving a physical car often causes nerves to build more than he experiences in F1.

"I get so nervous in sim racing for some reason, I get more nervous than I do in like an actual qualifying session," Norris said.

"I don't know if it's because you don't have the adrenaline of driving the actual car, so you kind of forget about the nerves.

"In sim racing, you're sat in the seat, it's a bit more peaceful and quiet, and you're literally just driving. You think about a few more things.

"I need to try and calm myself down as much as possible, I start shaking and getting all nervous, I always ruin my qualifying laps because I get so nervous.

"My only other thing is to put my Twitch chat into sub-only mode so they can't talk, otherwise I get too distracted trying to answer their questions."

Norris took part in a charity stream last week to support the COVID-19 response fund, raising more than $12,000 towards a total that surpassed $2.2 million.

The British driver promised to shave his head bald if he raised more than $10,000 - a promise he is set to honour later this week.

Norris added that the proliferation of Esports events during the break before motorsport resumes was not only entertaining fans, but also helping to encourage them to stay at home and help stop the spread of COVID-19.

"You're getting all these viewers clicking in, and most of them are likely to be at home," Norris said.

"Even when you're driving, they're saying that we are making for entertainment, and they enjoy watching us race each other.

"I think it's not just entertainment for us racing and showing us race, but it's got that wider significance of keeping people at home, and trying to make them a bit happy after spending so long in their homes or doing not the things that they wanted."