Norris Focuses on Personal Improvement, Not Piastri’s Edge

Lando Norris shifts his focus from Piastri’s success to fine-tuning his own performance, determined to regain his top-level form.

Out of the five races in 2025 so far, Piastri has won three, while Norris has one victory. Norris made two errors in qualifying – finishing sixth in Bahrain and tenth in Saudi Arabia after a Q3 crash.

Norris has been open about his struggles, which has led to some comments on his mental toughness recently.

Regarding the situation, Norris feels Piastri might be “naturally more adaptable” to the MCL39.

“There are certain things that prevent me from feeling exactly what I need to in the car, and that’s why I can perform at my level, secure pole positions, and race at the top level,” he explained.

“It’s about small details. It’s not about driving purely on instinct. In qualifying, with gaps of just a few hundredths or thousandths of a second, that’s what I’m complaining about, nothing more.”

“I think Oscar might just be more naturally capable of adapting, and as a driver, it’s your job to adjust to the car you’re given. But there are trade-offs, and the team is there to help you get the best out of it.”

“But clearly, there have been changes, and I don’t wonder if Oscar is simply adapting better. It’s not for me to figure that out or waste my time on. I need to focus on what works for me.”

“Obviously, it has affected me a bit more, and I’m not able to reach the level I was at by the end of last season, which was my best.”

The British driver is not concerned about losing his chance at the title.

“Not worried at all. Oscar is doing a great job and he deserves it, nothing more. I don’t really buy into the dynamics. I’ve made mistakes, and I’m not at the level I should be, but I believe I can get there quickly.”

“There’s no reason to worry. This is the sixth race out of 24. I can’t say that forever. I know I need to hurry up, but I’m working on improving. The speed is there, the race pace is there. I just need to make one more improvement. It’s tough, but I’m confident I’ll get there.”

Norris Ready to Bounce Back Despite Setbacks in 2025

Lando Norris has made a few mistakes this season that have pushed him down to second place in the championship behind his teammate Oscar Piastri. The McLaren F1 driver is aware of the areas where he needs to improve but feels confident and ready to make the necessary changes. He stresses that there are no performance issues holding him back.

“I’m focusing on what needs to be done,” Norris said. “I’m working on the areas I need to improve, trying to understand everything behind the scenes. It’s definitely not because of a lack of speed or ability to get it done.”

“I’ve often been at the top in Q1 and Q2, but when I get to Q3, things haven’t gone as planned. So, yes, I think there are aspects of driving and others related to the car where things haven’t clicked yet. But I’m working on it, and I hope this weekend I can apply what I’ve learned.”

Norris describes the break since Jeddah as a necessary pause and one that was helpful: “The break was needed for everyone. For me, it was nice to step away from everything and reset a bit. But it was productive. I’d say it was about two weeks.”

“That doesn’t mean a lot has changed for this weekend. It’s not like things will work like magic, as I’d hoped. But I think over the last two weeks, we’ve gotten a much better understanding of certain things, certain feelings, and what could have affected the situation, and what might not have.”

“Most of my simulation work has been focused on this – trying to understand some of these aspects, which is a positive step. But the next step is understanding them more deeply, knowing what actions you can take to start changing things on the car, and where you want to focus resources.”

“It’s more about understanding this than simply saying ‘this or that’. But yes, there’s been a lot more understanding, and I think that’s the most important thing. As a team, we need to figure out how to bring this understanding into the car.”

Although upcoming updates are expected to help the British driver, he is determined not to rely solely on these improvements and wants to enhance his situation without waiting: “I definitely think it will help. Honestly, I don’t know the exact timeline for when things will happen.”

“It’s also a mix of things that will probably be implemented gradually over time. But I don’t want to just rely on that. There are also things I’m working on separately, and I hope that’s a better solution than waiting for the updates.”

“It’s good that we’re working as a team. The team is working hard to understand these issues. Clearly, there are differences compared to last year in terms of how the car is working and behaving.”

“From there, I’m able to gain a lot of time and perform well. So, it’s a mix of things. But yes, I’m confident that we need to be a little patient with some things. Some aspects are beyond our control. But some of these things take time. So, I keep my head down and keep pushing myself.”

• Discover More>Sainz: Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Are Completely Expected
• Follow us on >FACEBOOK and >TWITTERfor F1 update

Norris Focuses on Personal Improvement, Not Piastri’s Edge Norris Focuses on Personal Improvement, Not Piastri’s Edge