Damon Hill provided BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Lando Norris’ coronation but later lost his temper over a separate show’s comment about the Brit.

Lando Norris became F1 world champion for the first time on Sunday (Image: Getty)

Damon Hill has blasted a “pathetic” comment made about Lando Norris by a social media account representing one of the BBC’s most iconic TV shows. Norris became the Formula One world champion on Sunday with a podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which was enough to take him to the title by two points over rival Max Verstappen.

Norris, now 26, was promoted to the F1 grid back in 2019 by McLaren who had seen the Brit’s potential from a young age. He had enjoyed a stellar career in karting and then in single-seater motorsport, assisted financially by his father Adam’s wealth which, in 2022, was estimated to stand at around £200million.

Adam Norris made his fortune in pensions, retiring in 2008 when son Lando was only a primary school pupil from leading financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown. It gave him a lot more spare time to support his son’s racing, while young Lando was never left wanting for the best equipment thanks to his father’s wealth.

That point was made by the official X account for BBC satire show Have I Got News For You, in a post published the day after his title triumph. It read: “Lando Norris’ World Championship win is a true Formula One underdog story: He came from relative poverty, with his parents struggling to make ends meet on less than a billion pounds.”

Damon Hill criticised the comment made about Lando Norris (Image: Getty)

Plenty were amused by the gag, but not 1996 world champion Hill who issued a furious retort. He commented: “Oh Sweet Jesus. I didn’t expect this from you guys. Really? Pathetic. The kid literally had no life other than racing and working towards winning. So we should all start in the slums, should we? Like you did. Eh? Let’s have a closer look at your story…”

Hill, who has been commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live this season, was joined by many others in the comments section who voiced their disapproval of the attack on Norris. One wrote: “The kid drives fast, and held off Verstappen. He deserves the win. Good on him! I’m tired of this very British trait of bringing people down because they are from some sort of context that has experienced previous successes – especially financial.”

Another pointed out: “Not a fan of lando at all but he would still be in F1 regardless of how rich his family is. His talent level has always been there so I don’t see how this is relevant.” And a third added: “So his parents have money, so what? Lando won through hard work and sheer determination.”

Norris is only the third British champion since Hill’s 1996 success. Lewis Hamilton has won the championship seven times across spells with McLaren and Mercedes, while Jenson Button took the title in 2009 when driving for Brawn GP.