Lando Norris leads the World Championship, but that wasn’t always the case – he was behind Piastri – now the Brit reveals what he had to change to turn the tide
Lando Norris has spoken openly about how he deals with comments from the media and fans as he leads the Formula 1 World Championship with three Grands Prix to go. Norris trailed his teammate Oscar Piastri in the 2025 championship standings for 15 laps, but has dominated the Australian in the last six Grands Prix, scoring 115 points to 57 during that period.
After claiming his seventh Grand Prix victory of the season in Brazil, Norris was asked what had led to his turnaround. “Just ignore anyone who talks trash about you! Just focus on yourself,” was the world championship leader’s advice.
In the FIA press conference after the race, the Briton elaborated on this, explaining that he used to pay too much attention to what people said about him.
Trapped in his own head
“There are always people out there who try to bring you down a bit,” said Norris. “I guess that’s normal. But yes, when you’re on a big stage, there are a lot of people talking and saying things, trying to influence other people to make a difference. Even the cheering and the non-cheering—you hear it anyway. It’s not the nicest thing.”
“But I think that’s something I’ve done well in recent months. People’s perceptions and how I’m portrayed in the media are very important to me. I probably thought about it too much — even at the beginning of the year, I think I thought about it too much, and that probably affected me in a way that wasn’t the best.”
“I’ve just learned to deal with these things better—not by not caring, because I still want to make a good impression,” Norris continued. “I never want to be rude or do things like that. But I will always try to make my point and say what I believe in.”
Learning process: Norris with a new approach
“That’s one of the things I’ve learned the most: just to stay true to yourself, have confidence in yourself, believe in yourself, and speak your mind. So yes, it’s more about keeping my head down and focusing on myself.”
When asked if the weekend in Sao Paulo felt like a turning point for him, as he now leads the world championship by 24 points, Norris played it down.
“No,” he replied. “It just feels like another weekend where I came here to try to win, get as many points as possible, and I did that. I did that last weekend too.”
