Norris Embraces Critique Rejects Complacency in F1

Lando Norris openly seeks honest feedback to avoid complacency and enhance his performance in Formula 1.

Recently, Andrea Stella praised Lando Norris as “the same kind of potential champion” as the top drivers, thanks to “his talent, mindset, and work ethic.” The McLaren F1 driver is pleased that his manager has this view of him, especially since he seeks no complacency.

“I listen to the people I interact with and those who know what they’re doing,” explains Norris. “As much as people say good things, there are also many who say bad things. But I have a lot of respect for the words of the people around me.”

“It doesn’t bother me when people say something negative because I use it to improve myself. Personally, the last thing I want are people trying to comfort me in tough situations. Maybe outside of F1 and racing, that’s what you want—that’s what friends and family are for.”

“But in racing, when it’s ‘if you’re not first, you’re last,’ I don’t want people to say ‘it was still a good effort.’ I want to be told when I’m not doing well enough. And when I’ve done a good job, then yes, say I’ve done a good job.”

“I don’t want empathy from anyone. It’s good to have strong words from people around me, people who know the truth. A lot of people who say things don’t know the truth.”

“I don’t listen to them, but when you receive words from other drivers, team managers, or people who know the facts, if they are positive, you take them into account and try to use them wisely.”

Norris works hard to “minimize” his flaws

Norris wants to continue progressing to perform even better and more consistently, but he also notes that he is starting to reach a level closer to what will be his best. He feels increasingly better in qualifications, where he made more mistakes last year, although he still needs to eradicate them.

“I’m always trying to improve. It would be disappointing to say that I am not at the best stage of my career. Everyone has their ups and downs, but I’ve worked hard to minimize my losses and the areas where I’ve struggled or the types of turns I’ve had trouble with.”

“I spent a lot of time over the winter trying to improve some of these things. I did what I hoped I could do. It’s a good step forward. There are still other things I want to do—and others I need to improve—but at the same time, I think I’m doing well.”

“I’m making my laps in qualifications, which was a bit of my deficit last year, a bit of my weakness. But I’m doing good laps in qualifying, I’m performing well in the race, it seems to be one of my strengths at the moment. I’m making good decisions.”