Lando Norris has discussed how he is constantly striving to “improve on both” the driving and psychological aspects of his game to enable him to keep challenging for the Formula 1 title this year.
The McLaren man has been open and honest about his mental struggles over the course of the year, as well as the issues he has faced with getting to grips with the MCL39, a car that he has found harder to tackle compared to team-mate and title-leader Oscar Piastri.
Both of these areas will have gone hand-in-hand on occasion this year, with moments such as his Q3 mistake in Saudi Arabia – in which he crashed when looking good for pole position – and his collision with Piastri in Canada last time out seeing him lose ground in the championship.
When asked if driving and technical side of the job was more or less important than the mental side, Norris explained that they are equally determining factors that he must tackle in order to up his game.
“I think there’s always a bit of both, you’re always trying to improve on both,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I’m certainly not perfect in either, but I think more of the technical side, and understanding still how to get the most out of this car, compared to last year’s car. That’s what most of the lap time is.
“I think when I’ve not been happy this year, of course sometimes it’s been through some mistakes and things, but also some of the mistakes have been by the car not feeling how I want it to and giving me the things that I need to get the most out of it.
“You can put both, it’s hard to know which one comes first in the end of the day, but I think we both take some of the blame in a way. But at the same time, I’m always trying to improve on both sides. So I never think you’re complete and everything, you can be just satisfied and then move on to something else.
“I think every sports person, athlete, whatever it is, is consistently trying to improve on both of these areas, whether it’s the practical or the mental side of things.”
Norris in the right place to improve after McLaren support
Norris must surely feel that he is in the right place to make these changes in a positive way, after receiving the backing of Team Principal Andrea Stella after his clash with Piastri in Montreal.
He took full responsibility for the clash in which he touched his team-mate when trying to make an ambitious overtake on him at the start of Lap 67.
Piastri’s car would be undamaged and went on to finish fourth, whilst Norris retired virtually on the spot, costing him precious points in the championship.
Stella said that there would be difficult conversations in the aftermath of the incident, saying Norris must “take the learnings” of what happened to improve, but added it was “full support to Lando”.
READ MORE – What McLaren wants to see from Lando Norris after Oscar Piastri Canada F1 clash
