Lando Norris proved he can win this year’s Formula One championship by finding “overdrive gear” during his dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle.
Norris has reclaimed the championship lead from his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for the first time since April, and the Briton heads into the final four rounds of the season, starting with this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having finished ahead of the Australian in five consecutive races.
The gap between McLaren at the top of the standings is just a point, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen still threatening 36 points off the lead in third despite finishing outside the top two in Mexico for the first time in six races.
While Norris had been on the podium in three of the four races before Mexico, the 25-year-old had not won since the last race before the summer break in Hungary, and Brundle was impressed by the dominant way he controlled the race after taking pole position.
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Highlights of the Mexico City Grand Prix
“I thought it was an exceptional weekend for Lando,” Brundle told Ski Sports. The F1 Show. “If we had seen that kind of performance from Max or Lewis, we would have talked about it in hushed tones because it was outstanding.”
“You often hear me talk about, when I’m commenting on championship fights, that one or more of the fighters, the main participants, seem to somehow find overdrive gear. And that was Lando’s overdrive.”
“Max seems to have more drive at all times. But I just thought the qualifying lap, the perfect start, the defense in the toughest first corner of the year, going the distance was just perfect, and just the kind of statement and confidence boost he needed right now.”
Ski Sports F1 expert and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve agreed with Brundle, praising Norris’s reaction to failing to capitalize on Piastri’s withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September.
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Watch the moment both Ferrari drivers narrowly miss out on pole in Mexico City as Lando Norris Dazzles in a title-defining qualifying performance
Piastri endured a disastrous weekend as he crashed out in both qualifying and the race in Baku, but Norris only finished seventh after making a few key mistakes of his own.
“It was a weekend of statements,” Villeneuve said. “You know, the weekends we’re used to seeing from Max and we saw a little bit from Lando last year when he fought Max.
“I guess the wake-up call for him was Baku – don’t react, don’t take advantage of a bad weekend from the Oscars. And I think that put some cold water on his face and he came back stronger like he did against Max last year.”
“And he’s on his way. He took a step in Singapore, another step in Austin. And it was wonderful in Mexico. When a driver gets into that zone, he becomes unbeatable.”
‘Lando Completes Complete Card Set’
Since emerging as one of the best drivers in the sport, Norris has faced questions about whether he has the mental application to match his speed.
Poor starts hampered his attempts to chase down Verstappen in last year’s title race, while Norris causing an unnecessary collision with Piastri earlier this season was another costly lapse.
Brundle believes the hard work Norris has done with McLaren to maximize his performance is now showing.
“It’s a pressure game,” Brundle said. “It’s the same in any high-level sport. In the end, it’s mostly in your head.”
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The crowd erupted in boos as McLaren driver Lando Norris spoke about his victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix
“But a year ago, I would have said no with Lando. But he and the team have done so much work on this aspect. And just the way he avoided disappointment because, whatever they say, Baku was a missed opportunity. Obviously, the contact in Canada hurt him. He couldn’t do anything about the engine failure at Zandvoort. And obviously he could have done anything to close Austin.
“But he gets it done. Even the whistle at the end of the race, which I thought was a bit bizarre. He just finds a way to break it up, pack it in and not let it get to him.
“The Lando of a year or two ago wouldn’t have handled the opening so well. I think he really kind of wraps up the full deck of cards.”
Villeneuve: Norris’s self-criticism is a superpower
Norris has often been criticized for being too negative about his own performance, but Villeneuve believes the Briton’s tough demeanor has led to improvement.
“We are too quick to judge a driver’s mental state just by what we see on the outside,” Villeneuve said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s happening internally.”
“Lando has always been very vocal about his mistakes, even when they weren’t (his fault), he actually took the blame. And everyone judged that because he’s so weak and beaten up and beat up.”
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Lando Norris discusses his Mexico City Grand Prix victory as he takes over the F1 title lead from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri
“I always thought, no, actually, when you can admit it, get out like that, always take the blame, that’s how you progress.”
“Just owning your own mistakes, and even ones that aren’t yours, that’s how you actually come forward, you know. What can I do differently so I don’t end up in that situation again?”
“It’s not a weakness. It’s a great strength to be able to blurt it out like that. But in today’s society and social media, you just get annoyed, ‘oh look how weak he is, putting himself down.’
“Well, no, it wasn’t a weakness.”
The thrilling race for the Formula 1 title continues in Brazil with a sprint weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from this Friday, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Ski Sports from NOW – no contract, cancel anytime