SILVERSTONE, England -- Reigning champion Lando Norris has challenged his on-track rival George Russell to put his name against a grandstand at next year's British Grand Prix after the Mercedes driver joked he was planning to "steal" some of the seats in Norris' 'Landostand.'
A grandstand named after Norris was added on the outside of Stowe corner last year and has been expanded to accommodate more spectators for the 2026 event.
The location offers a prime view of one of Silverstone's most iconic corners and the grandstand features Norris' logo on the seats as well as his helmet colours on the outside.
When Russell was asked on Thursday if he had any plans for his own grandstand at future races, he said he was working towards one for next year's event.
"I would like it to be honest, it's something we're spoken about with the team in the past," he said. "It's probably something we're working towards for next year.
"Where I'd like to put it? Probably, I mean Lando's got quite a good spot on the outside of Stowe, so I'll try and steal it off him."
Russell's quotes were put to Norris following Saturday's sprint race, including the suggestion that the Mercedes driver might try to take some of his seats on the exit of Stowe.
"Good luck!" Norris said with a smile. "And yeah, I mean, he can do whatever he wants. I just have, I think, more passionate fans and a better fanbase, I think.
"So mine was more wanted from a public point of view, which is a great thing. But the thing is, even in my grandstand, there's a good mix of all fans. It's not just simply fans who are here to support me.
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"It's a grandstand. It's my grandstand, but at the same time, it's full of some other teams, and also other drivers, which I've got nothing against. So yeah, he can just do whatever he wants, but he's certainly not taking many of my seats."
This year's British Grand Prix is on track to set a new attendance record for a Formula 1 race weekend, with 565,000 fans due to descend on Silverstone over the four days.
The circuit claims more than 175,000 tickets have been sold for the race day alone.