Lando Norris joked that winning on the popular game Fall Guys is “nearly” as good as winning a trophy in Formula One.
The game, a fun take on the battle royale genre, has become a phenomenon in recent weeks, holding the No. 1 spot on Twitch for most of August. Contestants are placed into games of 50, which is eventually whittled down to one winner, although it is notoriously difficult to win an individual ‘show’.
F1 sophomore driver Norris, 2019’s rookie of the year, claimed his first F1 podium finish at this year’s Austrian Grand Prix in July.
The British driver is known as an avid gamer and has been frequently streaming Fall Guys on his popular Twitch channel in recent weeks, including one where he partied up with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Inside the Fall Guys phenomenon
In a virtual press conference ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Norris was asked why he thought the game was so addictive and what he put its popularity down to.
That immediately prompted a response from Norris’ McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz, who was sat to his right, which started an exchange which went as follows:
Sainz: What is it?
Norris: It’s a game. You don’t go into Formula One ever expecting to get asked about this kind of game! It’s like Wii Sports kind of thing, like you’re playing on the Wii with friends and you have to try and…
Sainz: On the computer?
Norris: It’s on the computer or Playstation. You have to do obstacle courses, you’re… I don’t know what it is, like this jelly bean kind of thing.
Sainz:: Are you pretty good at it?
Norris: Uhhh, getting there! It takes some skill, you know. The reason it’s so good is it applies to everyone, no matter what the age.
Sainz:: Uh-huh?
Norris: Uh-huh! You’re going to have kids that beat me on it — and I get very annoyed about it – who are five, six, seven years old, and you have guys much older who play it. Just because it’s a very fun, entertaining game, it’s one that entertains all audiences and is very competitive.
You always have the chance in believing that you can do better and you can win, and it’s very difficult to win, so the chance to be able to win… when you do, it’s a good feeling. Not quite as good as winning a Formula One trophy or getting on the podium, but…
Sainz: : …but nearly?
Norris: [laughs] But nearly! Because it’s so rare, in a way. It’s just a game that I think is so hot right now and such a hot topic and everyone is playing it, it’s probably one of the biggest games at the moment and I think it will continue to be very big, but I think at the moment it’s a new game so that’s why it’s so big and a fad at the current time.