Lando Norris’s excellent performances this season for McLaren have been punctuated by a tendency to be incredibly hard on himself whenever he has made a mistake. He has been insistent on taking the blame, even when it was not entirely his fault.
Norris has been open and honest about his mental health during his journey to the top of F1 but in being so he faced questions about his approach.
Is beating himself up each time he makes a mistake his best way to get the best out of himself, or would being kinder to himself allow him the capability and flexibility in mind to challenge for wins on a regular basis?
He was incredibly despondent after seeing Verstappen win the sprint race in Austria having challenged for the lead on the fifth lap. In the post-sprint press conference, he sat hunched with his eyes closed as he reflected on another missed opportunity. He looked broken once again.
Could he find the psychological strength to bounce back?
He did so by qualifying in second place for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix but again, the focus was immediately on how he would handle Verstappen. The two have become close over the years. They both live in Monaco and enjoy sim racing but until now, it was Verstappen who more often than not came out on top.
There was a feeling in the paddock that perhaps Norris’s friendship with Verstappen, plus his self-tendency to blame himself, was somehow diluting his ruthless instinct that is required to earn his second victory in Formula 1. Was he simply too nice?
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, battles with Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
This is why what happened when the two traded places during the Austrian Grand Prix before making contact could well prove to be a defining moment within not only this season, but in Norris’s Formula 1 career.
Performance-wise, he was able to pull himself into a fight for the victory and showed true grit in battle. He did all he could to ensure this was not another opportunity that he was going to blow. He knew he needed to do everything to pass Verstappen and that meant putting friendships aside and tapping into a ruthlessness that we perhaps have not seen from the British racer.
Verstappen’s tenacity is well-documented but this time it was Norris who was the aggressor, diving up the inside of Turn 3 earlier in the race, before the contact that caused Verstappen’s puncture and sent Norris out. It was the…
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