Lando Norris, whose father is one of the UK's richest individuals, admitted he would be criticised for moving to the tax haven of Monaco. The British star has the chance to wrap up the F1 drivers' title at the Qatar Grand Prix, despite being kicked out of last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix after his McLaren team were found guilty of a double technical infringement.

Like most F1 racers, Norris began his racing career in karting, an expensive endeavour that was predominantly funded by his father, Adam, who boasts a net worth of around £205million, more than four-time world champion Max Verstappen. He made his money after selling his successful pension advice company. Adam has had further financial joy with his investment company, Horatio Investments Ltd, and has previously been named in the top 20 of the Bristol Rich List.

Somerset-born Lando actually grew up idolising MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi and initially dreamed of racing motorbikes. But after Adam took him to watch a high-level karting championship, he switched his attention to four wheels instead.

It proved to be a wise move as Lando rapidly moved up the ranks, graduating to F1 with McLaren in 2019. As his own wealth soared after signing a new four-year deal with the Woking squad worth £80million, Norris, like most F1 drivers, decided to protect his money by moving to Monaco, a magnet for high-net-worth individuals.

That was despite previously saying he "would not enjoy" living in the money-soaked principality. Speaking in 2021, Lando said: "I'm moving to Monaco after [the final race in] Abu Dhabi for the reasons you probably expect.

"It's something that obviously a lot of drivers go to do and especially, with how racing is, I think we've seen for other drivers how quickly things can also go downhill.

"Of course, I'll understand and there's going to be some [criticism] for sure. People do many things in life for money. This is just another one."

Norris remains the title favourite despite McLaren's double disqualification in Las Vegas for excessive plank wear on the floor of the cars. Team-mate Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth on the road, was also thrown out.

The race was won by Red Bull's Verstappen, who remains in contention for a fifth successive title. The Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, is due off at 4pm UK time on Sunday.