A fortnight after what he called his “most complete” Formula 1 victory in Mexico, Lando Norris arrives as the man to beat and a growing sense that this is the defining stretch of his life, but admits he would not mind the "f@ck-you attitude" of his archrival.
“I’m stronger mentally than I have ever been,” said Norris, who leads the 2025 Formula 1 world championship by a single point from teammate Oscar Piastri. “It is coming to the end of the biggest year of my life, and there is more pressure than I have ever had. But I am dealing with that better than ever before.”
Norris admitted he is now more exposed than at any other point in his career, caught between public praise and criticism.
He said: “There are more complaints if you perform badly, but then more people praise you when you perform well. You are torn down or picked up.
"One thing I have evolved through this year is trying to care less about that. I have my team for a reason. They are the ones who are always honest, whether the results are good or bad. That is all I need to care about," added Norris, who leads the 2025 F1 standings by a point from Piastri.
When asked if he matches Max Verstappen’s iron-willed mentality, Norris was candid saying: “Max has a lot more of a f@ck-you attitude, which in many ways I wish I had more of at times in my career.
"But I am me. I care less about trying to be something I am not and am more focussed on how I can use my attitude as a positive."
Norris: I am more chilled
The Briton continued: “The f@ck-you attitude is a great thing but it is also easy to get hot-headed and emotional. I am more chilled.
"There are pros and cons. But being me doesn’t mean I am not always learning from others. If in one moment of a race you need to apply a f@ck-you attitude, you apply it, and if you will benefit from being relaxed, I will take that approach," he explained.
Even as the title pressure builds, Norris insists nerves are part of the process, he said: “You are excited, nervous, there is a lot on your mind. The whole world is watching me reacting to the lights. Nerves are normal and you get butterflies because you are imagining a lot of things.
“A lap into the race the butterflies have gone. In Mexico, the run-down to turn one dictated my race. A lot rode on that. If I wasn’t leading after turn one, it would have been a lot harder to win, so I knew I had to get a good start, defend well, but as soon as I got through the first chicane, I was like, ‘I am good.’ And then you change your mentality.”
Norris brought the momentum from Mexico to the opening day of the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix by claiming pole position for Saturday's Sprint Race at Interlagos. Piastri starts from P3.
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