Being human: Obstacles and opportunities | In conversation with Lando Norris

Published on 26 November 2024•10 minutes

Company news

Being human: Obstacles and opportunities | In conversation with Lando Norris

When Airwallex met Lando

The Airwallex team arrived at the McLaren Technology Centre on a warm summer morning. Six months after its inception, we were there to interview them about our partnership.

The Airwallex and McLaren Racing partnership is more than logo placement and product integration. It’s a meeting of ethos and admiration for McLaren Racing's approach to performance. Ever since we launched the partnership, we’ve pondered what it really means to consistently set the global standard.

At Airwallex, we’ve taken a view on global payments that’s helped to turn obstacles into opportunities, problems into possibilities, and barriers into the building blocks of growth for customers around the world.

But what exactly is the mindset needed to look at a problem differently and – not just solve it – master it?

This was the question we asked Lando Norris after we were ushered into the ultra-modern McLaren Learning Centre and hooked up a mic.

The answer? A matter of shifting your perspective.

The following video interviews with Lando delve into this very theme, exploring how maintaining simplicity in the face of complexity can not only manage stress but also unlock potential.

Drawing from his own experiences, such as his first race win in Miami, Lando shares how focusing on his core strengths rather than the overwhelming pressure of the moment led to his triumph. Join us as we uncover the power of perspective in transforming challenges into victories.

Obstacles to Opportunities: Step back, think differently, try a fresh approach

"My biggest obstacle was having good pace but saving the tires. It's something I struggled with so much at the beginning. The main thing was turning the obstacle into the opportunity. So I spent a lot of time reviewing how to improve and the way I won my first race in Formula one was because I became one of the best at saving the tires."

Being human: In times of high pressure, focus on your strengths

"Naturally, as a human, you put a bit more pressure on yourself. That's not actually the way you should go about it. Just remind yourself you're there because that's what you're good at."

Reflecting on performance: In the moment, with the team, in private

"You have thoughts like 'what if I chose this or did that', at the end the correct course of action is always what's best for the team. Reflecting on those moments helps keep you on track."

Teamwork: Reinvent the rulebook

"We had to take a step back and reflect on everything and realize what was going to make a big difference for us. We had to reinvent a lot of the ways on how a Formula 1 team works, and that was by doing our own thing. The results then spoke for themselves. Use the people around you who are there to help you, you can learn and develop in a much quicker way."

Step change: Developing the mindset

"Just doing what everyone does around you is never going to win you the race. You've got to come up with a better performance, a more efficient performance. So sometimes you got to step back, reinvent in some ways and come out stronger than your competition."