Austin is more of a car town than you might guess. The Texan capital is both the heart of the Lone Star State and a tech hub, with roads chock full of pickup trucks as well as electric vehicles. The automotive gamut here runs from old-school utility to new-age thinking, and it’s all complemented by the fact that Austin is also the home of Formula 1’s longest, currently running American race: the United States Grand Prix.
A fitting spot, then, to find Lando Norris for a quick chat. The reigning F1 World Drivers’ Champion is in the area a few days early to acclimatize to the timezone, play some golf and padel, and, of course, make a few sponsor-related appearances. I caught up with him ahead of Mastercard and Citi’s “Curated Table” program, a high-end dining curation for cardmembers around major events such as Art Basel and NYFW
Norris has been coming to Austin for almost a decade; this weekend will mark his seventh U.S. Grand Prix. As we sit in a quiet, wood-paneled event space on 4th Street, he seems very relaxed. I’ve brought him a Texas Longhorns hat in the hopes he’ll wear it for a picture. Brand conflicts say otherwise, but he holds up a subtle “hook ’em horns” gesture as we chat through the race, why he’s skipping Texas BBQ this time around, and a surprising song choice. More below.
WEDNESDAY 5:00 PM OCTOBER 21, 2026 AUSTIN, TEXAS
NICK REMSEN: Lando, hey, nice to see you. Thanks for doing this. How are you?
REMSEN: You’re back in Texas. What do you like most about Austin, having been here often at this point?
NORRIS: It’s a fun and relaxed place. It always seems to have a good energy to it. There are a lot of sports around—you can get out of the city, and there are some good golf courses. It kind of just has everything I like.
REMSEN: Is padel more and more established here?
NORRIS: Oh, yeah. We play here every year.
REMSEN: It’s taking over. What do you make of the term “Everything is Bigger in Texas”?
NORRIS: [Laughs] I don’t know—I feel like that’s more of an American thing, at least when you come from Europe to here.
REMSEN: Yeah, good point. During the World Cup, when international visitors were here, there was a lot of chatter about how big, like, our gas stations are. And Buc-ees.
NORRIS: And drinks. And portion sizes. And also just with events. Sporting events are huge here. Super Bowl celebrations are, like, a week long.
REMSEN: What about Austin signatures—BBQ, music?
NORRIS: Oh, I’ve done all the barbecues. Terri Black’s. Iron Works. Franklin?
NORRIS: I’m actually not the biggest fan of just, like, red meat in general. My team loves it and they go every single night. But I don’t normally.
REMSEN: Texas BBQ would be a bit heavy for race weekend.
NORRIS: It’s easy to pile on the pounds, yeah.
REMSEN: What are you listening to on high rotation right now, or what’s your most recently played song on Spotify?
NORRIS: [thumbing through his iPhone] Actually, my most recently played song was “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall.
REMSEN: Oh, wow. That’s a good one. The Devil Wears Prada .
NORRIS: [Laughs] It was in the car the other day. An in the moment kind of thing. Also, a bit of Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love.”
REMSEN: What’s your favorite part of this Formula 1 race in particular? The Circuit of the Americas track is old school compared to our other races in the US.
NORRIS: Honestly, I just kind of love the flow of the whole thing. I love the fact that you get a lot of elevation throughout it all. It adds character while driving, and there’s another layer of difficulty in the corners. A corner is not just a corner here—it can be bumpy, and then it drops away. Sunday itself if also great for spectators and fans. When you drive up to turn one, you see a huge, huge section of fans on the right side. I enjoy that.
REMSEN: If you could take one souvenir back from Texas, what would it be?
NORRIS: I think what’s most fun from here is the sports. College football. Any memorabilia or something from a team.
REMSEN: We actually got you a Texas Longhorns hat.
REMSEN: Sure thing. OK, they’re telling us it’s time. Let’s take some quick pictures. Do you think you can wear the hat?
NORRIS: I don’t think I’m allowed to. But don’t worry. I’ll take it.
Source: Fashion
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