Lando Norris stays determined: “I can still win the title without Piastri having bad luck”
After his retirement at Zandvoort, British driver Lando Norris fell 34 points behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, but his championship dream remains alive. With nine races still remaining in the season, Norris is confident he has a chance to win, but he will need to be sharper in qualifying and make the most of every opportunity.
Norris’s retirement in the Netherlands could represent a turning point in the championship battle with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, as the zero score at Zandvoort widened the points gap to 34. This margin doesn’t exactly allow the Australian to sleep peacefully, given there are still nine races left, but it does provide a certain degree of calm.
In some scenarios, this could allow Piastri to take fewer risks, while the Englishman will need to push harder to catch up. In a hypothetical situation where McLaren continues to score 1-2 finishes, Norris would need to win at least five races in a row just to close the gap.
Although McLaren’s supremacy is clear, Formula 1 remains unpredictable, which is why Norris is still convinced he has a shot at the title, even without any misfortune for his teammate.
“Sure, it’s frustrating. But at the same time, it makes it fairly easy to move forward. If it had been my fault, I’d probably still be dwelling on it or feeling quite down. But since it had nothing to do with me, it was easy to say, ‘these things happen,’” Norris said on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
“What can I do? Surprisingly, it was pretty simple for me to leave the retirement behind and focus on this weekend. And that’s what excites me,” he added. Piastri noted that McLaren has already identified the cause of the problem and taken targeted measures to prevent a technical failure from compromising the championship fight again.
Looking at the first part of the season, it’s clear that the two drivers are very close in performance, and the real difference comes down to details and the ability to convert opportunities into results. For this reason, Norris still believes in the championship dream, but he will need a stronger second half of the season, leaving fewer points on the table in decisive moments.
“I can still win the championship without anything happening, and that’s how I want to do it. Sure, life would be easier if other drivers occasionally got in the way,” Norris explained, highlighting how McLaren’s dominance can ironically make a comeback more challenging. While the MCL39 always offers a chance to win, the same applies to Piastri, who this season has finished outside the top two in only five races.
“The point is, we’re so dominant as a team that, paradoxically, it makes my life harder. And that’s really the most frustrating part of the whole situation,” Norris added.
However, Norris has no desire to see his teammate encounter technical problems to rebalance the championship. “No, because in the end, if he has done a better job, I give him credit and say he did better. That’s just the way I am. I don’t wish anything like that on him. May the best driver win, and if that’s the case at the end of the season, I’ll respect it.”
After Zandvoort, Norris promised to attack and give his all, focusing not so much on driving style or on-track behavior, but on what has made the real difference so far: converting situations into results.
“Not from a driving perspective. I just need to be sharper in qualifying. I need to be more prepared and reactive in certain race situations, decisions, and strategy. I can’t do much more because I feel I’m already doing everything I can, so this wasn’t a wake-up call to suddenly do more.”
“I’m fairly satisfied with many of my performances; we’re talking about very small margins here and there that can make a big difference. So I’m happy, I know I need to improve a few things, I’m working on it, and for now, that’s all I can keep doing.”
Many expect a more “intense” duel between the two McLaren drivers, with Andrea Stella so far managing to prevent tension while allowing freedom within limits. However, with the championship nearing its conclusion, every point is decisive. Piastri doesn’t expect Norris to become more aggressive toward him or push to the limits of McLaren’s so-called “papaya rules.”
“I don’t think so. He’s certainly not out of the fight. Yes, it’s a bit more difficult now, but I don’t expect major changes. I think we’ll continue racing in the same way. I believe the level of risk will remain the same. Both of us are trying to drive as best as possible. It’s not like we’ve held back in that regard,” Piastri added.
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