Lando Norris’ partner has hit back at Carlos Sainz’s claims that F1’s focus is going ‘overboard showing celebrities and girlfriends’ by declaring she is only there to support her boyfriend.
Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix last month, Sainz expressed his displeasure at how television cameras around race weekends are not centred around the drivers.
During that particular race, the camera often cut to show the Spaniard’s girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson, and Norris’ loved one, Magui Corceiro, in the paddock.
And in retaliation to Sainz’s comments, Corceiro has insisted she doesn’t care if the cameras pan to her as her sole motivation for attending is to aid her 26-year-old boyfriend.
Speaking to Jornal de Noticias, Corceiro, 23, declared: ‘I don’t feel any pressure from being a public figure. I’m there to support someone. I have nothing to do with that.
‘I don’t know anything about cars. I’m good for nothing other than supporting someone.
‘I don’t call the cameras. I have nothing to do with that, it’s not my job or my area.
‘If they record me, they record me. If they don’t record me, it doesn’t matter.
‘Obviously there are many cameras everywhere, but sometimes I don’t realise if I’m being recorded or not.’
While individual broadcasters such as Sky Sports control their own coverage around a race weekend, the Grand Prix itself is controlled by a lone world feed. This leaves the individual broadcasters at the mercy of Formula One’s production decisions.
Sainz’s gripe came after his impressive drive from 18th to 10th at the Marina Bay Street Circuit wasn’t shown.
Speaking to Spanish radio station El Partidazo de COPE, the Williams driver said: ‘It’s becoming a bit of a trend, which must have worked for them at one time, when people found it interesting to see our girlfriends, to see famous people on television, the reactions.
‘I understand that if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race, it is understandable that the production team might want to show a reaction shot, if they have seen that this has worked in the past, but only if the competition is respected and you are always showing the important moments of the race.
‘Last weekend they didn’t show any of the four or five overtakes I did at the end, nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis, they missed a lot of things. The other (showing the off-track things) is fine, but don’t lose sight of the main thing. For me, they go overboard a little by showing the celebrities and girlfriends.’
Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ has revolutionised Formula One, drawing in new, younger audiences who have a tendency to focus on the individual drivers and their personal lives rather than the sport itself.
Corceiro hails from Santarem in Portugal and has amassed a colossal social media following, boasting over two million Instagram followers and more than 800,000 fans on TikTok.
As an actress, she has appeared in Portuguese television dramas and is regularly featured in campaigns, including stints for Intimissimi and Alo Yoga.
Corceiro was a contestant in the country’s version of Dancing with the Stars back in 2020.
She also co-founded the eco-conscious swimwear brand Missus and has graced the pages of Vogue Portugal.
