‘Who am I without racing?’ – Max Fewtrell on finding a new road in motorsport with Quadrant alongside best friend Lando Norris

For every driver who reaches Formula 1, there are countless others whose journey through the junior ranks ends somewhere along the way. For those who have spent almost their entire lives racing, stepping away can mean figuring out not only what comes next, but who they are without it.

Throughout much of Max Fewtrell’s childhood, life followed the rhythm of a racing calendar. There was always another weekend to prepare for, another result to chase and, ultimately, one destination in mind – Formula 1.

These days, Fewtrell remains part of the F1 world through Quadrant. Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, he'll join fans at F1 Arcade in London for a live race watch-along, but his motorsport journey once pointed in a very different direction.

Fewtrell became a British F4 champion before winning the Formula Renault Eurocup, competing against some of the young drivers who would eventually make it onto the F1 grid.

But his own path came to an end during the 2020 Formula 3 season – except, for Fewtrell, it did not initially feel like an ending at all.

“We spoke to teams here and there, slowly realising doors were closing for the next season,” Fewtrell tells F1.com in an exclusive chat. “We were looking at it like, ‘Okay, this whole year might be a write-off, but we'll try to do some testing and get a team in for F2 the year after.’ But as time went on, that wasn't looking realistic with the lack of sponsors.

“There wasn't even a defining day where I thought, ‘Oh, I'm never going to race again.’ It just sort of didn't happen again.”

Adjusting to life away from the track

For someone who had been racing since the age of nine, losing the rhythm of race weekends meant losing much of the structure around which his life had been built. As the months turned into years, Fewtrell found himself confronting a difficult question: who was he without racing?

“I'm still sort of figuring that out now,” he admits. “Not having a race weekend to look forward to or train for was really strange because I'd done that since I was nine years old. It was a massive change.”

What initially felt like a temporary pause gradually became something more permanent, forcing Fewtrell to reassess his future. “As it went on longer, it became more difficult to deal with and cope,” he says. “That's when I really started to question, ‘Who am I without racing? What am I going to do?’”

Six years on from stepping away midway through a Formula 3 season, Fewtrell can look back on the decision with more perspective, though not without some lingering doubts. “I'm 50-50 with the decision now,” he reflects. “Maybe I should have stuck the season out, stayed around it and been in people's vision. You never know what doors that can open eventually. It's always easy in hindsight.”

While gaming, golf and padel continue to satisfy his competitive instincts, Fewtrell admits nothing can replicate the emotions he experienced behind the wheel. “Nothing replicates that feeling of a good result. I've never felt the butterflies I had when I was sat on the grid. I don't know how I'll ever replicate that. That's something I struggle with. I miss it massively.”

Watching Norris become World Champion

There is another unusual element to Fewtrell's life after racing – his best friend is reigning World Champion Lando Norris.

Fewtrell and Norris were friends long before Formula 1 success. They were team mates in karting and followed similar junior paths, both winning British F4 and Formula Renault Eurocup titles before their careers diverged.

Fewtrell has remained close enough to see the reality of Formula 1 first-hand, travelling to races and watching Norris compete. Unsurprisingly, it has occasionally made him consider the path his own career might have taken.

“There's never any jealousy,” he says. “I've always been super proud, and it’s been amazing seeing him perform the way he does.

“There's always that ‘what if I made it?’, and you can see how his life has changed. I can see it first-hand. It’s the dream.

“But it's been cool to be close to that world of F1 and see it through a driver's eyes in a way. Being very close to him, I get to see what it's like to be a driver. I don't ever wonder... I know what it's like now. I've seen it through him.”

That perspective became particularly poignant in 2025, when Norris achieved the goal they had both once chased and became Formula 1 World Champion for the first time.

“I think he took such a big step mentally to overcome that hurdle,” Fewtrell says. “I don't know what that pressure would be like because I never made it there, so to see him do that has been amazing.”

Yet Fewtrell says the person he grew up alongside remains the same.

“I've not seen a massive change in him personally,” he explains. “Obviously, we've all matured from when we were 13 to now when we're 27. We're very different people, but I think the Lando inside is definitely the same.

"He’s very generous, very kind. A lot of people maybe don't see the full side of him, which is fine. He keeps it private, but he's definitely the same person that I grew up with, still the same guy.”

How Fewtrell became Quadrant’s Managing Partner

When Lando Norris launched Quadrant in 2020, Fewtrell got involved simply as a friend. No longer racing and still hoping to return to the grid, he joined Norris in making content.

“First of all, I was bored!” Fewtrell laughs. “I wasn't racing, so I had nothing to do. It looked fun, and he was like, ‘Look, I'd like to have a friend come and do this with me’, because he was on his own doing that.

“He was filming with people he didn't necessarily know very well at the time, so he was like, ‘Come on, do this with me. Come do a few videos and see where it goes.’... then it snowballed into where we are now.”

That snowball effect eventually saw Fewtrell become Quadrant's Managing Partner, taking on a bigger role as Norris' focus shifted increasingly towards Formula 1. “As Lando started to fight for the championship... I had to step in,” he explains.

“Because we're close, he can communicate with me, and then I can go into the company. So it made sense for me to step into that role and be that connecting piece between him, me and the brand.”

Fewtrell believes their long friendship has been key to making the partnership work. “We've known each other long enough where we can be very honest. So if we disagree on something, I'll say it straight away, and things get sorted out a bit quicker.

“We can be really clear with communication, so there's no messing around or feeling like we're tiptoeing around the other person.”

Bringing more F1 drivers into the Quadrant world

Norris remains central to Quadrant, but he is increasingly not the only F1 driver appearing within it.

Carlos Sainz, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon are amongst the familiar faces to have featured in its content as Quadrant looks to reach motorsport fans beyond those who already support its founder.

“We don't necessarily want it to just be that Lando's the only driver we get on,” Fewtrell says.

“I think having the other drivers on has been massive for us to then become a hub of motorsport and build a massive community of people who love racing.

“You don't have to just be a Lando fan to enjoy what we do. I think that's been key, having all the other drivers on so other people can come into Quadrant and get involved in the community because maybe their favourite driver has been on, not just because it's all about Lando.”

The aim is not to recreate the content drivers already produce with their own teams. Instead, Fewtrell says the philosophy is simple: “Let's just enjoy this.” With more than one million YouTube subscribers, Quadrant also gives drivers access to a large audience beyond the traditional race weekend environment.

“For the younger guys that [have] just come onto the grid, it's a benefit for them to come on the channel because we have that audience there already, and it helps them build their own platform,” Fewtrell says.

“So it's good all round, and we also have a nice afternoon!”

From millions of views to meeting fans face to face

As Quadrant's F1 presence has expanded, so has the way it interacts with fans.

The once overwhelmingly digital brand has moved increasingly into physical spaces, with pop-ups in Melbourne and London followed by Quadrant Live at Silverstone’s Made at Vale stage during the 2026 British Grand Prix weekend.

“It was just unbelievable,” Fewtrell says of Made in Vale. “I don't know how to explain it... To see that many people turn up to see yourself, or the brand, is just incredible.

“Sometimes you get lost in the numbers on the screen. You don't realise how many people there actually are. You see videos get 5,000,000 views… but it really puts everything into perspective.”

Those interactions have also shown Fewtrell how communities built around F1 can extend beyond watching what happens on track.

“I've heard so many stories from people that follow us of how they've met friends through Quadrant,” he explains.

“It’s that sense of community, making people feel like they're a part of what we're doing and belonging. It's a place where they can come and enjoy. It's a safe space.

“People come into the pop-up, chat with us, catch up, ask about the last video and get a T-shirt. We're all wearing the same stuff. It's little things like that, which I think actually mean quite a lot.”

Why F1 Arcade is the next step

That focus will continue around the Italian Grand Prix when Quadrant partners with Viagogo to take one of its race watch-alongs offline at the F1 Arcade.

The event includes F1 Arcade's simulators, giveaways and interactive race predictions, plus a pre-race Q&A with Fewtrell and other members of the Quadrant team. The motorsport brand had already experimented with watch-alongs online. Bringing one into a physical F1 space felt like a natural progression.

“We did the watch-alongs online quite a few times, and there's definitely something we can capitalise on doing it in person and having people there,” Fewtrell says.

“Again, there's that community aspect of it. We're really focusing on building that community and doing more stuff in person, face to face as much as we can.

“So I think a watch-along felt like the next step.”

It is an interesting place for Fewtrell to find himself six years after stepping away from racing. He did not reach F1 in the way he imagined as a child, but the sport remains threaded through his work, friendships and a business bringing fans closer to the drivers.

Fewtrell’s hopes for the future

Fewtrell says he is now in a good place with not making it to Formula 1 and does not dwell on it... most of the time.

“Only on the occasional night, it just creeps up on me,” he admits. “You know, you're lying in bed, and something horrible just comes up.”

Nor has he completely closed the door on being a racing driver again. Asked what he would like to achieve next, the answer quickly returns to the cockpit.

“I would love to race in Le Mans at some point for sure, Le Mans or Daytona. I want to get back in the car,” he says. “That's probably a big dream, but I'd love to do that.

“I just want to be happy. That's what it's all about. I used to overthink a lot about many things and stress, so I've really tried to simplify life down, and the main things are all there.

“That's all that matters really.”