“Lando Norris is weak, not like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher”: Riccardo Patrese’s criticism. Riccardo Patrese commented on Lando Norris's current position in the standings.

Riccardo Patrese commented on Lando Norris’s current position in the standings, highlighting a factor that could prove decisive in the fight against Max Verstappen for the world title.

Riccardo Patrese’s statements

These are the statements of the former Formula 1 driver, made on the Red Bull podcast: “If Lando Norris were to seek advice from experts, he would probably benefit from it. I see that he is always a bit disturbed by what happens around him, perhaps also by the fact that McLaren hasn’t given him—now it seems they are, but maybe it’s too late—the full support to fight Max Verstappen for the championship.” – he pointed out.

“I believe this bothers him a bit, since he sees himself as the captain of the team, given that he has been there longer [than Piastri, ed.]. So he suffers a bit; it may be that he is a bit weak from this [mental, ed.] point of view. This is a significant flaw because he can obviously win Grands Prix, but if he is so influenced by what happens around him, it’s difficult to be like people I knew, like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.” – the former Formula 1 driver added.

“I consider them absolute champions; they could make a difference even with inferior cars, and anything going on around them left them completely absent, it didn’t involve them. If Lando Norris is so susceptible to what happens around him, it can be a big problem if he wants to reach that level. Does he have a chance? He is light-years away [from the top, ed.] in points; Max Verstappen would need to stop for him to catch up. It’s a very, very distant opportunity; it needs to happen that Verstappen scores zero [points, ed.], otherwise, he will never catch him.” – he continued.

“[Norris, ed.] is a driver who started winning this year; you also have to get used to winning [to be ready, ed.]. The first victories are always the hardest, but they establish your awareness that you can do it. Oscar Piastri is already more convinced that he can win; his attitude shows it. He wants to make that clear within the team; character-wise, he seems stronger than Lando Norris,” Riccardo Patrese concluded.

And you, what do you think? Do you agree with the former F1 driver’s reflection? Do you believe Lando Norris is ready to win the Formula 1 championship?