Hello Darkness My Old Friend
Still no breakthrough in Norris' head.
Nothing ever happens—at least in Lando Norris's mind. He remains trapped in a vicious cycle that restricts him like a ball and chain attached to a prisoner’s leg. It’s the same nearly inescapable pattern we saw in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this year, as if the Brit were a train bound to follow a predetermined track.
Trying too hard during qualifying leads to a poor result. A comeback in the race is hampered by impatience and errors. In Canada, Norris made only one mistake during the race, the biggest one of this season.
Misjudgment Is the Word of the Day
On lap 66, Norris and his teammate, championship rival Oscar Piastri, were duking it out for P4, or possibly even the last step of the podium, if either of the McLarens could catch Kimi Antonelli. The championship math could shift by at least 2 points depending on whether the Aussie or the Brit crossed the finish line ahead.
Norris made a daring dive bomb into the hairpin. Piastri allowed him to pass and promptly countered with a cutback, securing the inside line for the upcoming straight and the final chicane. They exited the hairpin side by side.
The Brit won the DRS assisted drag race, as he was half a car length ahead leading into the chicane. However, the Aussie hit the brakes later and successfully claimed the corner—at a cost. Piastri maintained his position, but his line was compromised, granting Norris a better exit and an opportunity to launch an attack.
The Aussie covered the inside, but the Brit went for it as if there were a runoff area beyond the white line, rather than a wall. In the heat of the moment, he hoped he could make it. He couldn’t. He drove into the back of his teammate, damaging his front wing, which subsequently became lodged underneath the car, and crashed into the wall.
The battle for 2 point resulted in Norris losing a dozen relative to Piastri, as he retired from the race.
The Brit radioed an apology to the team and accepted responsibility for the incident. Speaking to the media, he described the move as a misjudgment, echoing the sentiments of David Coulthard and Jolyon Palmer during their race commentary, as well as those of McLaren’s Andrea Stella. It is rare for Formula 1 to witness such consensus, but there is truly nothing more to add.
The Desperate vs. the Stoic
A while ago, I used the old fable Three Little Pigs to illustrate the stark contrast in mental prowess between the McLaren teammates, with Norris represented as the pig living in the house made of straw and Piastri as the one residing in the house made of bricks. The analogy has aged pretty well so far.
The Aussie is freakishly calm, stoic, and highly efficient in decision-making. In this regard, he reminds me of Alain Prost, as he is both calculated and long-term oriented. Everything Piastri does appears to be guided by a singular end goal: winning the championship. It’s as if his decisions are optimized through extensive, reaching far into the future calculations.
The Brit, on the other hand, is often driven by emotions. Mostly the negative ones. However, it recently appeared that things were changing for the better. In Spain, Norris lost to Piastri, but after the race, he was his upbeat, goofy self—a stark contrast to the frustration and passive-aggressiveness he had exhibited following the Miami Grand Prix. While this is a positive development, it has not yet translated into on-track performance.
The mistakes return like a boomerang, striking him directly in the head.
A Grim Prognosis
It will only worsen if the vicious cycle continues, not only in this championship but also in Norris's future at McLaren.
In terms of skills and speed, the Brit has reached his ceiling. He’s not going to get radically better. He’s a finished product, more or less. Piastri is already at a similar level. What if there is still room for the Australian to grow? What if it’s not his final form?
What if Piastri wins the championship this year and continues to improve by 2026?
This would essentially relegate Norris to the role of a number two. In the worst-case scenario, this year could be the Brits’ only opportunity to win the title as a McLaren driver. That’s a gloomy, but not entirely unrealistic picture.
The best way to discard the picture and paint a more vivid and optimistic one is to become a champion this year. There are still fourteen races remaining, providing ample opportunities to gain or lose points. A 22-point deficit is not insurmountable; it can be erased in a single race.
Norris is still in the fight and still has a chance to win. However, for that to happen, he needs to find a way out of the vicious cycle. Otherwise, he will be trapped in it like in quicksand, and his championship ambitions will drown.