Lando Norris is deemed one of the most talented drivers of this generation. In fact, many feel he will pick up the Drivers’ title this year, as McLaren are expected to be favorites for the ‘fastest team’ tag for the second year running.
However, winning an F1 championship is not as simple as making a prediction—especially with 2025 shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in recent years.
Norris could face multiple rivals and potential race winners, making mental preparation crucial for the challenging campaign ahead. Unfortunately, confidence doesn’t seem to be on his side.
At times, he even feels that he doesn’t have the “right mindset” to be an F1 driver.
This isn’t the first time Norris has spoken about his mental struggles in F1. A few years ago, he opened up about the challenges he faced as a rookie.
Now, the situation is different. As Norris explained, “I’ve always felt like I had to experience something to really believe it.” Yet, he has no plans to abandon this approach, as he believes it’s the right mindset for him to perform at his best.
“It might not always be the right mindset to have or the right way to think about things, but that’s who I am , and that’s how I work,” he said.
While Norris admits there are days when he feels motivated for no particular reason, this can even happen when he’s performing at his worst.
It’s about handling the emotions
Last year, the battle between Norris and Max Verstappen was as much a mental fight as it was a physical one. At times, the McLaren driver seemed flustered by his rival’s actions, leading to some avoidable mistakes.
Former F1 driver Nico Rosberg advised against viewing oneself as the favorite too often, saying, “It’s just an unnecessary pressure, expectation dynamic that you kick off. If you want, do it internally or whatever, but especially not externally—that was one of the keys to me winning my world championship, actually.”
Rosberg also advised Norris to prepare for the new challenge as thoroughly as possible—something he is undoubtedly doing. However, the German offered a crucial piece of advice that he applied during his 2016 title battle with former best friend turned bitter rival Lewis Hamilton.
“Take a mental coach, psychologist. I did as well.”
It’s sound advice, especially with Hamilton potentially emerging as one of Norris’ rivals this year, as Ferrari is expected to challenge McLaren.
