Lovebirds

This supermodel gets Lando Norris going

What's going on between Margarida Corceiro (left) and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris?(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/AFP/POOL/KIM Kyung-Hoon, Instagram.com/magui_corceiro)

McLaren driver Norris goes into qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai today as one of the favorites. Does he get the love of a supermodel as motivation?

"These long corners here in Shanghai are not what our car wants. Okay, we know our problems, we have to sort them out. If we manage to do that, we can fight for victory, but that won't be any time soon," said Lando Norris before the start of the China weekend. Postscript: "But if we are in the right place at the right time, then it could work." And that was at least the case in the only free practice session and in sprint qualifying, which took place in increasingly heavy rain. "I just risked everything, put everything on the line, because the conditions were getting more and more difficult," Norris analyzed after his best time, adding: "I thought our car would be better in the dry."

Good cards for McLaren
There is only a ten percent chance of rain for today's qualifying (9 a.m.), which means that McLaren with Norris and Oscar Piastri have a good chance in the battle against Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin.

In the sprint race, Norris dropped back from pole to sixth place.

New love
At the moment, Norris not only seems to have a spark in the car, but also in his private life. The 24-year-old from Bristol is said to be head over heels in love. The chosen one? Margarida Corceiro, a 21-year-old supermodel and actress from Santarém in Portugal. The two "lovebirds" had already been "caught" at dinner in Monte Carlo the previous year, although Norris was still in a relationship with Luisinha Barosa Oliveira at the time, while "Magui", whose beauty had already polished off the winning photo at the MotoGP sprint at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve this year, had given her heart to super footballer João Félix (on loan to FC Barcelona from Atlético Madrid since 2023).

"Caught" at a tennis match
In the meantime, however, both relationships broke down and Norris and Corceiro watched the tennis Masters match between the eventual tournament winner Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin together.

"I find that hilarious"
Neither Lando nor "Magui" have officially confirmed the relationship. After their first meeting, Norris merely stated in the English tabloid newspaper "The Sun": "I can do whatever I want. And I don't want to hide anything, because I don't want to just sit at home at the computer every day. If the media want to accuse me of being in a relationship, please. I find that hilarious."