Lando Norris has been burning up the track with one of the best seasons of his racing career, but the F1 driver is turning up the heat off the track as well, as the new face of Ralph Lauren’s Polo Red campaign.
The Formula 1 star swaps McLaren “papaya” for Ralph Lauren red in a new photoshoot, which finds Norris posing in a red and black leather jacket in front a backdrop inspired by the bright lights of the race track and “the thrill of the open road.”
Shot at Circuito de Navarra in Spain — where McLaren famously unveiled their MCL33 car in 2018 — the campaign helps to promote Ralph Lauren’s Polo Red Eau de Toilette, which is available to buy online now.
The fresh and seductive fragrance features notes of grapefruit oil, cranberry, lemon and saffron, balanced by a base of woods and coffee. Reviewers call it a great “day to night” scent, with many noting how long it lasts. The cologne is crisp and clean with just a subtle sweetness, and is as great on vacation as it is for work or school.
The red bottle, meantime, is said to have been inspired by Ralph Lauren’s own car collection, with matte black accents and sleek curves.
View this post on Instagram
In a press release, Ralph Lauren Fragrances says “Norris’ relentless drive, unwavering focus and fearless ambition are the embodiment of the Polo spirit,” adding that the F1 star has become a “global sporting icon,” thanks to his “motivation on the track, as well as his artistry and charm off the track.”
While Norris has been a longtime ambassador for TUMI, the Polo Red campaign marks the 24-year-old’s first big foray into the fashion space, and Norris says it was an “honor” to partner with the iconic cologne brand.
“Polo Red feels like the moment just before a race, when my helmet goes on, the adrenaline kicks in, and it’s time to go,” he says, telling Rolling Stone that he loves the “uplifting, confident smell.”
“It’s got a bit of a sporty vibe to it too,” he adds, “and that’s obviously the perfect match for me.”
Ahead of the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Rolling Stone spoke with Norris about posing for the new campaign, finding his way with fashion, and developing the confidence — and team — to finally win a championship.
Tell me about why you wanted to team up with Ralph Lauren Fragrances for this Polo Red campaign.
I’m part of one of the biggest teams in the world in sports and I’m lucky that with them, I get to meet a lot of other great teams and partners involved in Formula 1. But as much as I want to be the best in my own profession, I also want to work alongside the best and biggest names in other professions around the world, and I think Ralph Lauren is definitely one of the biggest names in the whole industry. Plus, this was an opportunity for me to go into a different space and do some stuff that I’ve not done necessarily before.
View this post on Instagram
How did it feel to be in front of the camera for this shoot?
All I remember is that it was very cold. Also, I’ve never done something like this before, where it’s a bit more ‘fashion front cover’ let’s say, which was cool for me, because it’s not something that I’m used to. I’m not like a natural model, so there was a lot of stuff for me to kind of learn and get on board with, but at the same time, there were a lot of great people to help me and it was very fun.
Were you someone who wore cologne before doing this campaign?
Yes! I think it’s always important to smell good. I think that’s pretty much one of the most important things in terms of when you’re meeting new people. And when you’re traveling, I would say, along with my phone and my headphones and my passport, I think smelling good and having a good fragrance is one of the most important things. You don’t want to be next to someone who’s a bit smelly right?
Agreed! Now what about Ralph Lauren? You must have been pretty familiar with the brand before signing on for the campaign right?
I was never lucky enough to wear Ralph Lauren when I was growing up; it was almost like too nice for me to wear. But my dad, who was a businessman, would wear Ralph Lauren and buy clothes from there, and that was always something I looked forward to as a kid, like, ‘One day, I’ll be able to wear Ralph Lauren.’ I’m lucky enough that I get to be part of that family now.
How much attention do you pay to fashion these days?
A good amount. Honestly, it can also depend on how I’m feeling. There’ll be days when I’m like, ‘Today’s my day, I want to try something a bit more trendy and cool,’ and there’ll be days when I don’t want to put in the effort, and I just want to be comfy and not think about those things.
I only ask because it seems like all the drivers are getting photographed in their “F1 fits” these days, especially when walking into the paddock.
Sometimes it stresses you out, you know, when you’re trying to think like, ‘What do I wear? Will someone else wear it? Have I worn it before?’ and all of that kind of stuff.
I think you always manage to pull it off.
I always choose my own outfits and I probably should have a stylist or have someone to do something for me, because I probably put too much stress and pressure on myself sometimes trying to choose what outfit to wear. And I don’t think I have the best eye and knowledge of fashion and how things go together. But every week, basically, before I pack my bags, one of those things that I have to have in mind is, ‘What am I going to wear on Thursday?’ It’s not something I put a lot of time and effort into because it’s of relatively low importance for me, compared to my actual job, but at the same time, it’s a little moment where we get to be ourselves as drivers, and every driver gets to kind of show themselves, their own personality and their own character.
Okay this may be a weird question, but since we’re talking about fragrances… what does it smell like in the cockpit when you’re driving?
I mean, you have a lot of airflow coming through [the car] so you can normally smell the surroundings quite well. So say when we’re in Austin, in Texas, there’s a lot of barbecue that people are having, with all kinds of food huts around. So normally, when you’re driving, you smell some food on the side somewhere.
That’s super interesting and also makes so much sense.
I’ve never really thought of that question before. Next time I drive, I’ll go out and think like, ‘What am I smelling?’ and I’ll let you know.
No, no I don’t want to distract you.
It’s hard not to get distracted by barbecues.
So I have one last question and I think I know the answer to it already, but what are your goals for the rest of the season?
To win every race.
That’s exactly what I thought you’d say.
I mean genuinely, that is my goal. I think it’s a difficult goal to achieve, that’s obvious, but it’s also, I think, a realistic one if things go perfectly well — and things do need to go perfectly well if I want to achieve that. But I have the team around me, I feel like I’m performing at the level that I need to, and when you look at our past month and almost since the summer shutdown that we had, we’ve been easily the strongest team.
I feel like I’ve been one of the strongest drivers, and that’s given me confidence — which is not something I always have — to say these things, and set these goals of winning every race. The bigger goal in mind is to try and win the championship, both from a driver point of view, for myself, and also for the constructor and us as a team. So those are our goals. They’re big goals. One is probably a bit easier to achieve than the other. But I think we have everything we want, and everything that we believe in, which allows us to set the goals so high.
