Norris reveals self-criticism and worry amid title fight - 'I was s***** myself before Monaco'

There have been plenty of ups and downs for Lando Norris in his 2025 season and title battle.

The McLaren driver has been involved in a back-and-forth battle with teammate Oscar Piastri throughout this season, with the two McLaren drivers expected to fight right up until the final few Grand Prix weekends.

The pair have traded wins throughout the season, with Piastri holding one more win so far, with six to his name compared to Norris' five.

"I mean, I think there's been a mix of tracks where I just feel a bit better at, just because it does generally align with just tracks I've always been better at," the Brit said at the Hungarian Grand Prix to members of the media, including GPblog, when asked about his struggles and successes at certain tracks.

Oscar Piastri sits just nine points ahead of Oscar Piastri in the drivers' standings after the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

"If you look back to the Red Bull Ring, things like that, they're tracks I've just always enjoyed, I've always clicked with.

"I think a lot of the time it does also align with feeling, and I think that's why I've been quite vocal about my feelings, because the better I feel in the car, the better I'm going to do.

"It's quite linear, they're one to one, and part of my job is trying to improve that, the not good feeling, and try and make that as good as when I'm feeling good, but that's trickier."

Read also

McLaren sees important investment is paying off amid title battle

F1 icon predicts 'fireworks' at McLaren as Norris and Piastri battle for title

With the five wins to Norris' name in 2025, just nine points separate him and Piastri in the drivers' championship, with the Brit pushing on from his title-challenging season in 2024.

However, this season has seen the 25-year-old already have some major struggles, especially in qualifying, highlighted by his crash during Q3 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that saw him heavily criticise himself as he dropped right down the grid.

"China, things like that, generally more front-limited tracks are ones that you rely more on feeling from the steering," Norris continued. "That's where I've struggled a bit more this year, and those are the times I've struggled more.

"But at times I've done well, even at Monaco, I was s****** myself before Monaco, massive front-graining, terrible last year, but turned into one of my best performances this season.

"There's been plenty of cases where I've expected worse and I've done better than an expectation, but the places where they're normally front-limited, just leaning on the front tyres a lot, require a good steering feel; those are generally the places I struggle on."