What Should This Six-Time Formula One Champion Do Next?
Lando Norris began the 2025 Formula 1 season in spectacular form. He claimed victory at the Australian Grand Prix, gaining a huge points haul when teammate Oscar Piastri could only recover to P9 after a spin in the grass. That dominant debut gave Norris a 23-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship. However, that strong start has unraveled over the following ten rounds. After the Canadian race, a collision with Piastri not only ended his race but also dropped him 22 points behind in the standings. Norris has now lost 45 points to Piastri in just ten calls—a hard fall from the early high.
Mid-season, Norris’s qualifying results have slipped significantly. He often starts outside the top three, affecting his race chances. In Canada, he qualified only seventh, half a second slower than Piastri, after brushing the wall, an incident his race engineer warned him about over team radio. On Sunday, that poor starting position put him behind in traffic and forced him into a desperate, error‑prone battle. That desperation triggered the ill‑judged pass on Piastri, ending his race and seriously damaging his title hopes.
The crash in Canada has highlighted deeper problems in the team’s internal fight. Norris admitted over the radio, “All my bad. All my fault. Stupid from me,” and later personally apologized to Piastri. Piastri accepted the apology, calling the move “unfortunate but not malicious”. Still, the incident echoes McLaren’s old intra-team crashes, like Button–Hamilton in 2011. The team principal, Andrea Stella, called it a “costly misjudgment” and hinted at the need for clearer driver rules.
After this low point, Norris must rethink his approach. First, he needs to rebuild his qualifying performance. Without strong grid positions, he will be forced into risky recovery drives. He should work closely with engineers to fine‑tune braking points, balance, and consistency—areas he struggled with within Canada. Secondly, he may need to rethink his race tactics. He must learn to balance aggression with patience if he wants to beat Piastri over a season, without jeopardizing the team. Finally, mental resilience is critical. Norris admitted feeling uncomfortable in the car at times and needs to manage pressure if he’s to regain confidence. Norris should embrace caution, not back off entirely, but be smarter. He still has the pace to challenge, but must avoid reckless moves. Working on qualifying performance will put him in a better position from the start, reducing the need to force passes. During races, he should pick his battles more carefully, avoiding unnecessary risks, especially against his teammates, and finally, rebuilding his mindset and trust in the team and himself. This is vital. If Norris can sharpen his qualifying, polish his patience, and reset mentally, he can still mount a championship push. He began 2025 by showing what he can do; now he needs to match that promise consistently. Rebuilding that momentum from start to finish will be his true challenge in the second half of the year.
