Oscar Piastri has taken control of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship heading into the Miami Grand Prix but McLaren team-mate Lando Norris is the defending winner in Florida
Lando Norris knows he needs to stop seeking perfection as he heads back to the site of his maiden Formula 1 win. The sport makes the first of its three trips to the USA this weekend for the Miami Grand Prix.
It marks the first time Norris has ever entered an F1 event as the most recent winner, having finally broken his duck in Florida last May on his 110th Grand Prix start. And, reflecting on those celebrations in the Miami sunshine, Norris admitted he had lacked belief in his ability up to that point.
He said: “It always puts a smile on my face. The joy, the relief… I’m a guy who has to kind of see something to believe it, you know? Did I think I could win a race? Yes. But did I ever go into [one] really believing I’m going to win? No.
“So, after achieving one, that gave me a bit more of the belief, like, ‘Okay, I can win a race in F1, and I can beat Max’. Was I a bit lucky with the safety car and things? Yes, but at the end of the day, no matter how, I won a race in F1.”
That was the first of four wins for Norris in 2024 but he missed out on the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen. They have one win each so far in 2025 but the Brit is currently being outshone by McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who already has three victories this year.
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Norris got off to the perfect start by winning the Melbourne curtain-raiser but mistakes in qualifying have proven costly in recent outings. And his comments on those errors have sparked concerns about the Brit being too self-critical, but Norris insists: “I’ve always been very hard on myself, because I’ve never been hard on anyone else.
“I’ve always worked on myself more than I’ve ever blamed anyone, let’s say, and that’s just made me into the person that I am. There are pros and cons… There’s the negative side of sometimes being too negative on yourself, and kind of getting into that bad little world.
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“But I’ve learned to utilise it in a good way, and especially over the last half a year, year. In both aspects of my life – F1 life and also at home – I feel like I’m in the best position that I’ve been. I know that I’m going to make mistakes and I’m going to let myself down, but I’m excited and confident that I can go out and do a good job every weekend.”
And Norris is adamant that a golden opportunity to become champion for the first time this year, because of McLaren’s current supremacy, is not affecting his mentality. He added: “I’m probably putting a bit too much pressure on myself at the minute, not because of any reason, and not because of the championship and all these things.
“I just put too much pressure on myself because I want to do well – like, I want to do so well. I want to be on pole, I want to win, I want to be perfect. I think I need to accept a little bit more that I’m not going to be perfect. I’m making mistakes because I’m trying to be perfect, rather than the other way around.
“I think I just need to chill out a little bit and have a bit more trust in my speed, because my speed [in Saudi Arabia earlier this month] and my speed in every race this season, has been, I think, the best. I’m very confident that I can win the races if I just give myself a better chance on Saturday.”
