Top athletes working at the zenith of the sporting world are usually self-critical, especially in a sport like Formula 1 where drivers need to push their limits constantly. That said, McLaren driver, Lando Norris has been on the extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to beating himself up on mistakes.
His father, Adam Norris, recently admitted that this trait of the #4 driver can be detrimental, but also believes that he got it from him.
“[He] probably got it from me,” said Norris Sr. on the Riding Unicorns podcast (as quoted on X).
adam on lando being self-critical:
“again probably got it from me which is slightly if you’ve listened to him talking to tv he’s been detrimental.[..] people say you shouldn’t compare but if you do and I think what lando does is looks at himself and says so I didn’t get that… pic.twitter.com/6UkR3hQn0F
— Remi (@l4ndocore) March 5, 2025
Norris’ father, who has carved out a successful business empire for himself, revealed that back in his younger days, he was as hard on himself as he sees Norris is now. Despite tasting success, the duo have the shared desire to always improve and chase perfection.
Adam remembered a particular instance where this trait showcased itself in him. Despite people calling him a successful businessman, he compared himself to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg — instantly diminishing his image in comparison.
That said, with Norris, his father believes that his son is almost close to perfection. He explained that oftentimes when the #4 driver berates himself, for instance when missing an apex, he’s dealing with extremely fine margins.
“He [Norris] might be in the closest to the apex of anyone but in his head he missed it because he knows he can do better,” he added.
How Lando Norris is ‘working’ on himself with 2025 title bid lined up
Last season, Norris’ tendency to be harsh on himself came to the fore as he was tangled in a title fight with Max Verstappen. On many occasions, he would single himself out for not gaining enough ground on the Dutchman in the standings.
A perfect example is his comments going into the summer break last year. “I’ve given away a lot of points over the last three, four races, just because of stupid stuff and mistakes and bad starts. I don’t know why. It’s just silly things,” he said.
But with a clean slate this season, and a title-winning car in the MCL39, the Briton is the favorite to clinch his maiden title. But despite the odds in his favor, the #4 driver has the full support of the team to overcome this one negative trait.
Team principal, Andrea Stella has full faith in Norris.
“He will calibrate over time to see: ‘How tough do I really have to be with myself? What is the target here,” he explained last year as per Planet F1.
