Saudi Arabian GP 2025: McLaren's Lando Norris Targets Mentality Reset Ahead of Potentially Season-defining Race

Lando Norris might be on top of the Formula 1 world driver's championship standings as of right now, but he is approaching the Saudi Arabian GP 2025 weekend with the intent to work on his mentality. 

Norris broke barries in F1 when, during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, he opened up on social media about having self-doubt over his career prospects and the mental struggles he faced. 

However, this has also left him open to criticism that he does not have the mindset of a champion - something that Norris himself is keen to address and change. 

Norris Seeking Better Mindset

He admitted ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP that he needs to remind himself to focus on the good as he has a tendency of focusing on the bad more often. 

"It's a balance, I think I'm clearly still trying to improve on. Such as this week, trying to remind myself of the good things. I do think of the bad stuff, the negative things, more than I think of the positives," Norris said. 

He also said that he spent 3 days between Bahrain and Jeddah just relaxing to keep calm but wasn't always successful at it!

Comparisons to Others

The reason Norris' mindset is often debated is because, in contrast to friend and title rival Max Verstappen, he does tend to be more critical and self-reflective. 

"I know I'm hard and I know I'm tough on myself, but for 95% of it, I think it's a good thing. I think it's what makes me who I am and makes me have a chance in Formula 1 and be with McLaren and be fighting for a world championship," Norris said.

The likes of Verstappen, Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and even Mercedes driver George Russell have been perceived as steely characters who are able to overcome mental barriers. 

Whether Norris can work on this so easily remains to be seen, but he is seemingly trying everything to put together a successful year for himself and the team.