Under growing pressure from Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris opens up about the mental and technical struggles hurting his form this season.
Is Lando Norris pushing too hard to beat Oscar Piastri? According to Juan Pablo Montoya, that might be exactly what is happening. The former F1 driver believes Norris is unintentionally allowing the pressure from his McLaren teammate to affect his performance.
“Absolutely, Oscar has gotten into Lando’s head,” Montoya told the media. “Lando wants so much more from himself, but it is becoming unrealistic.”
Montoya suggests Norris needs someone in his corner to remind him to focus on his own game. “Someone has to tell Lando to stop watching Oscar. Just focus on driving. Last weekend, he admitted he felt completely lost, like he had never driven a Formula 1 car before. That is when the mistakes start creeping in.”
According to Montoya, Piastri’s growing competitiveness is forcing Norris into errors. “If Lando stayed in his bubble and did what he does best without worrying about Oscar, I believe he could beat him comfortably.”
The real issue, he says, is the shrinking gap between the two. “Lando wants a clear buffer of two or three tenths so he can relax. When that cushion is there, he can push confidently. When it is not, he starts forcing it, trying to create a gap that is not needed. You can take pole by a tenth, you do not need three or four tenths. That is when mistakes happen. They are self-inflicted.”
Montoya also points to a mental shift for Norris this year. In previous seasons, he was the underdog. Now he has to perform as the favorite. “When Lando did well before, he was not expected to. This year he is. He is driving like he wants to say, ‘it is not just the car, I am that good.'”
“He should not feel the need to apologize or make excuses. He should just be happy he is in the best car, praise the team for their work, and focus on winning races.”
Montoya does not think team orders are the answer but sees a solution in prioritizing whoever qualifies better. “It would be tough. If Lando had a clear advantage, it would be easier to ask Oscar to be smart about it. Right now, they are too close.”
“For now, they will probably base everything on qualifying results. They want to maximize points for the constructors’ championship and avoid any early-season clashes. Basically, if you qualify ahead, you control the race unless something major happens. They will manage it that way until around race fifteen when the constructors’ title should be decided.”
Norris Opens Up About Struggles Behind the Wheel
“I Am Not Performing Like I Was at the End of Last Year”
Lando Norris admits he is not driving at the level he reached late last season. The McLaren star says he is finding it difficult to get fully comfortable with the new MCL39, which is affecting his confidence and performance, particularly in qualifying.
McLaren currently has one of the fastest cars on the grid, but it is Oscar Piastri who seems to be getting more out of it at the moment.
Speaking before the Miami Grand Prix, Norris explained how the tiny margins in Formula 1 are forcing drivers to take more risks. In a car that does not feel natural to him, those risks are translating into mistakes.
“This year it is all about tiny details, and honestly, it is hard to explain simply,” Norris told The Race. “It is just this deep feeling I have with the car. Things do not come as naturally.”
“When you have to think differently and adjust your driving style, even small changes can cost you two or three hundredths of a second.”
“And in this game, losing two or three hundredths can be the difference between pole position and starting third.”
“I cannot extract everything from the car the way I want to. It is complicated. There is a lot happening behind the scenes that people do not see.”
One of Norris’s biggest challenges is knowing exactly when to push for the perfect lap during qualifying and when to hold back, especially in a car that feels unpredictable.
“Facing guys like Max, Oscar, George, and Charles, everyone is pushing to the limit. You cannot afford to lose even a hundredth of a second.”
“You have to push the car to the absolute maximum. To do that, you need to feel connected to every part of the lap: the braking, corner entry, and exit.”
“When there is even a slight disconnect, and you cannot predict the understeer or oversteer, you have to start thinking more. The moment you consciously think, you lose time.”
“The harder it gets, the more precise you have to be. The more precise you need to be, the more perfectly you must connect with the car.”
“At the end of last season, I felt like I was in that zone. Now I am not. And I am paying the price.”
“Whether it is through major mistakes, lock-ups, or just losing tenths here and there, I am simply not as sharp as I need to be. And it is costing me.”
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Norris Cracks Under Piastri Pressure and Reveals Inner Struggles Norris Cracks Under Piastri Pressure and Reveals Inner Struggles