Lando Norris enters the final stages of the Formula 1 2025 season as the championship favourite — a situation that seemed almost unimaginable just a few months earlier. After an oil leak forced him to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix on 31 August, the McLaren driver found himself 34 points behind Oscar Piastri, who claimed victory at Zandvoort and appeared to be in unstoppable form.
At that moment, Piastri looked firmly in control of the F1 title fight. He had already taken seven wins and delivered five consecutive podiums, raising questions about how Norris could possibly bring the battle back in his favour. The Australian’s pace, consistency, and confidence seemed unmatched, especially compared to the struggles Norris had experienced with the dominant but demanding MCL39.
For most of their time as teammates, Norris had the upper hand. But in 2025, when the stakes were highest, the dynamic shifted. Norris’ preferred late-braking, aggressive rotation style did not naturally suit the car, which performed best with a smoother, more passive corner entry. While Piastri thrived early on — winning four of the opening six races — Norris spent the first part of the year trying to adapt.
“It’s hard not to do a better job than what I was doing at the beginning of the season — I certainly struggled,” Norris admitted.
But the story looks very different now. Since Zandvoort, Piastri has failed to win another Grand Prix and has stood on the podium only once. Norris, meanwhile, has outscored him in every one of the six races since then, taking two victories and consistently finishing ahead of his teammate. With only three rounds remaining ahead of Las Vegas, Norris leads the championship by 24 points — and now appears firmly in control.
According to Norris, the foundation of this turnaround is mental rather than technical.
“The result of where I am now is from a mental side,” he said in Las Vegas. “I’m almost happier that I had a pretty crappy beginning of the year. Those difficult times allowed me to be more positive about myself and focus more. I started to do a lot more work on those things, which has led me to be in this much stronger position.”
Norris has been open about the mental challenges of Formula 1 since his debut in 2019. He once described the pressure of entering the sport as a 19-year-old as something that “often took its toll”. Even this season, he admitted to self-doubt during the early rounds and paying too much attention to external criticism.
Interestingly, Norris does not view Zandvoort as the key turning point. Instead, he suggests the shift had already begun earlier.
“Everyone refers to Zandvoort as that moment that turned things around, but already before that I think I started to be on the right track,” he explained. “Zandvoort was a big step back in terms of positioning, but mentally I wasn’t too deflated. The race pace was strong, and I knew progress was happening.”
Another pivotal factor has been the people around him — a support system Norris credits with helping him stay positive and avoid falling into overly self-critical habits after tough sessions. But the turnaround has not been purely psychological. McLaren also introduced key technical updates, including a suspension change in Canada, that helped Norris align his driving style more closely with the car’s strengths.
Even so, Norris knows how quickly the championship picture can shift. Recent races have shown that momentum in F1 can swing dramatically. Yet the current standings give him a powerful advantage: even if Piastri wins all remaining races and Norris finishes second each time, the Briton still becomes World Champion.
The situation mirrors Nico Rosberg’s 2016 approach, when the German secured the title by consistently finishing second behind Lewis Hamilton in the closing rounds. When asked whether he intends to adopt a similar strategy, Norris suggested that his current method remains unchanged.
“What’s worked so well for me the last few weekends is going flat-out, staying out of trouble, staying out of the chaos behind,” he said. “It’s almost a safer bet in terms of pushing.”
As the season heads into its final races, Norris stands not only as the championship leader but as a driver who rediscovered his rhythm — mentally, technically, and strategically.
