Lando Norris Driven To Defend F1 Title But Says He Has ‘different Mentality To Max’

Lando Norris insists he enters nan caller Formula One play highly motivated to clasp nan world title he won for nan first time past year. The McLaren driver believes his maiden triumph has only fixed him greater assurance successful his expertise to take sides nan title.

Norris won nan title aft an aggravated title that went to nan wire. After a three-way conflict pinch his teammate, Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Norris sealed nan title by conscionable 2 points at nan last title of nan season successful Abu Dhabi.

The British driver has ever been unfastened astir his attack to racing and admitted that while he had already achieved his lifelong dream, that accomplishment did not blunt his determination to return different championship.

“I still person galore much years successful Formula One and I will still effort and get arsenic galore much championships arsenic possible. If I ne'er do, I’m truthful happy,” he said. “If I don’t execute thing again, I ever person thing that I’m very proud about. I cognize it’s a immense accomplishment but it surely hasn’t taken distant immoderate ambition aliases desire to want to do it again.”

Norris faced immoderate disapproval past twelvemonth that he did not person nan slayer small heart captious successful a reliable title fight, particularly erstwhile compared pinch his uncompromising rival Verstappen. Norris, however, stuck to his claims that he wanted to beryllium he could triumph it his measurement by being a adjacent and honorable driver.

He proved nan doubters incorrect but successful nan buildup to nan caller play – which starts successful Melbourne connected 8 March – faced nan mobility of whether he had nan aforesaid alloy and ambition arsenic his Red Bull rival to go a aggregate winner.

“It’s rather clear that I person a different mentality and a different attack to what Max has. Good aliases bad, you decide,” he said. “There’s a batch of things that I still respect successful Max, and I wish I had a small spot much of that present and there. There’s still plentifulness of things I want to activity connected and I want to beryllium amended on. The baseline level of wherever I’m astatine now is already beautiful good. My information to triumph is precisely nan same.

“If anything, I person much confidence. I’ve said successful nan past that I’m very overmuch a feline who has to spot thing to judge in. Did I judge I could beryllium connected rod for nan first clip aliases triumph a race? When I’ve done it, past I’ve gone: ‘Ah, I tin do it.’ I person to find my ain measurement and not disregard what different group person done successful nan past, but conscionable understand what is ever going to motivate me.”

The task facing nan 26-year-old is daunting. F1 is introducing a swathe of caller regulations this season, drastically changing nan cars and really they will beryllium driven, alongside wholly caller hybrid powerfulness units, which nan drivers first knowledgeable successful pre-season testing successful Barcelona past week.

Lando Norris revels successful nan infinitesimal he clinched his first world title pinch McLaren’s elated paddock staff. Photograph: Xavi Bonilla/DPPI/Shutterstock

Managing really nan McLaren’s electrical powerfulness is employed crossed a lap, including nan usage of a push-to-pass boost function, will play a awesome portion and Norris believed it could fundamentally alteration F1 racing.

“I deliberation what you’re going to spot is almost much chaotic racing, depending connected erstwhile group usage nan boost button,” he said. “Create racing perchance successful amended ways than you person been capable to successful nan past and that’s astir apt a bully thing.”

The other power employed needs to beryllium recovered aft usage allowing drivers nan chance to travel backmost astatine their rivals. “You’ll spot much yo-yoing, much moves pinch other speed,” Norris added. “You realise erstwhile you usage nan boost fastener really overmuch that tin wounded you connected nan adjacent consecutive and really you person to get nan artillery backmost up quickly.

“The biggest situation astatine nan infinitesimal is artillery guidance and knowing really to utilise that successful nan champion way. It’s not simple. You person a very powerful artillery that doesn’t past very long. So knowing really to usage it astatine nan correct times, really overmuch energy, really overmuch of that powerfulness you use, really you divided that up astir nan lap. Our situation arsenic a team, arsenic drivers, is each of these things. Our occupation is to effort and beryllium connected apical of that arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.”

The season’s 2nd trial takes spot successful Bahrain from Wednesday to Friday adjacent week, pinch nan last trial a week later earlier nan opening Australian Grand Prix.