Editor's Desk: Time for Norris to get serious

Norris has been the subject of many debates between me and GrandPrix247 editor-in-chief, Paul Velasco. While Paul thinks highly of Lando and believes he is the only driver on the Formula 1 grid capable of challenging Verstappen.

I, on the other hand, have always been sceptical about the McLaren driver, but before everyone goes berserk, let me explain my view.

There is no doubt about Norris' pace, his natural speed, he is up there with the very best on today's F1 scene, but as an overall package, I always felt that he was lacking, and more susceptible to errors than Verstappen for example.

I know it is unfair to compare Norris to Verstappen, but now, the latter is the benchmark and in this current season, he is the driver Lando has to fight.

Let's go back a bit, to the time when Norris arrived on the F1 scene in 2019 with McLaren, and was hailed by Zak Brown as the next F1 World Champion; McLaren were in bad shape, which was probably good for their uprising star as that would take a bit of pressure off.

But since then, Norris has renewed contract after contract with the Woking squad when there was still no light at the end of the tunnel, and while both parties trumpeted that this long-term commitment was based on faith in each other, I always saw it as Norris preferring to stay in the comfort zone.

It's simple, everyone says he is good, and everyone says the McLaren is bad, so no one can blame him for bad results, and how things turned out.

In terms of teammate, Carlos Sainz pushed him hard in their two years at McLaren, and although he wiped the floor with Daniel Ricciardo, let's be realistic, it would've been a disaster if he didn't. Now with Oscar Piastri, he is being pushed as well, although the Australian has been dropping back lately, his inexperience also showing.

With how McLaren turned things around, I have no problem admitting I "may" have been wrong about Norris keeping the faith in them although I do insist there is no way he could've known that they will bounce back like they did from mid-2023 and in 2024.

Coming back to our present time, Norris is showing speed and is the only driver pushing Verstappen hard, both in qualifying and in races, although the Dutchman still has the upper hand.

After the Austrian Grand Prix, Paul and I were discussing the Verstappen/Norris incident, and we were both in agreement that the Red Bull driver was at fault in the crash, he went too far, but until the crash, it was all hard racing between the two.

For me I wasn't enjoying Lando's moaning every time his "buddy" defended hard. I mean what does he expect? A friendly wave by? That is Max Verstappen you are racing for crying out loud, so toughen up or go home.

And it suddenly hit me, why I have an issue with Norris: It is because I never felt that he takes F1 as seriously as he should.

He always seems to joke about everything and takes everything lightly. For me that is not the mark of an F1 Champion or a driver who takes his racing seriously.

Ruthlessness has been an attribute that all F1 Champions have shared over the years. Give me one example of an F1 Champion that was a nice person. You can't because you must have that killer instinct that wins Championships, something Verstappen has in abundance something Norris found out first-hand last Sunday.

Lando's body language after the crash and what he said projected disappointment and disbelief, but he should learn that there are no friends on the race track, be it with Verstappen or any other driver, not Lewis Hamilton, not Charles Leclerc... no one.

So now, and with his car being arguably the fastest, it is time for Norris to get serious, because like the song says: Nice Guys Finish Last.