McLaren have been told they need to do more to support Lando Norris in the wake of his brutal self-criticism at last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. It was a difficult weekend for the Brit who struggled to perform despite having the quickest car on the grid.
Norris qualified down in sixth place while Oscar Piastri took pole position. And while the Aussie cruised to his second victory of the year, his team-mate laboured throughout the Grand Prix and only managed to make it up to third place, beaten to second by George Russell.
He was downbeat about his performance after both qualifying and the race, saying he was “nowhere near” the level of performance he needs to show. But new Sky Sports pundit Jamie Chadwick worries that her fellow Brit is being too harsh on himself.
And she called upon Norris’ McLaren team to get in their driver’s ear to reassure him that he has what it takes to convert the potential of this season into a maiden Formula 1 title. “I don’t think there’s right or wrong, definitely not,” said Chadwick on the live broadcast from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“As a sports person, you can be yourself. You can be the best version of yourself possible. But, in this instance, I just don’t know why Lando feels like that.
“I feel like he’s got a great car, he’s a great driver [and] he’s got a great opportunity to win a World championship. Why isn’t everyone around him telling him that? And why isn’t he telling himself that? Okay, we all make mistakes, but it’s this constant beating himself up every time that’s only going to get worse.”
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It was not unusual to see Norris so critical of himself in Bahrain. It is a regular occurrence whenever the 25-year-old feels he has left performance on the table, or made a mistake which has proven costly in a race.
This habit has led to many expressing concern for his mental wellbeing at times, but in Jeddah this week Norris explained that it is simply part of his process. He said: “I needed a couple of days off and needed a reset. I’ve tried to force myself to think of what a success the start of the season has been.
“Yes, I know it could have been better. I have to get reminded that I’m leading the championship, won the first race and been on the podium every race. I want to achieve my potential and, at the moment, I am not achieving my potential – there’s no reason for me to be happy with that.
“I know I am hard on myself, but for 95 percent of it, that’s a good thing and it’s what makes me who I am and makes me have a chance in Formula 1 and to be with McLaren and fighting for a World championship. If I told myself I’d be leading the championship after four races, I’d be very happy, but probably don’t remind myself enough and that’s the main area I need to improve.”
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