After months of frustration behind the wheel, Lando Norris finally rediscovered his rhythm in Mexico — and with it, the Formula 1 championship lead. Yet even as he celebrated victory, the British driver admitted his McLaren remains a tricky beast to tame.
Finding his form again
The Mexican Grand Prix weekend could hardly have gone better for Norris. His win not only ended a drought stretching back to Budapest but also propelled him ahead of Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings. For the young Briton, it was a performance that looked effortless from the outside – but inside the cockpit, it was anything but.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what changed,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 after his victory. “I just felt more comfortable in the car today. Last year, I felt completely at one with it. This season, it’s been much tougher to adapt. The car is incredibly fast, but it’s still very hard to drive.”
That comment summed up his season so far: flashes of brilliance, punctuated by weekends where the car simply refused to behave.
Honest talks and tough truths
After a particularly difficult outing in Singapore, Norris decided enough was enough. He sat down with his engineers for what he described as a “frank and necessary conversation” lasting nearly 90 minutes.
“I told them, ‘This is exactly the kind of car I don’t want. We won’t win races if it keeps behaving like this,’” Norris revealed. “This weekend, I finally had more of what I needed from the car – and I could show what I’m capable of. It’s really that simple.”
The turnaround wasn’t just about mechanical tweaks; it was about regaining confidence. For much of the early season, while Piastri racked up victories, Norris wrestled with doubts. He refused to criticise McLaren publicly — especially since the same car was delivering wins for his teammate — but privately, the struggle was clear.
“There were moments where I thought, maybe it’s just me,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t finding the right way to make the car work for my style. Now, I’ve finally found that direction.”
Conditions that played to his strengths
Part of Norris’s resurgence in Mexico came down to conditions that perfectly suited him. The low-grip surface at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez punished drivers who rely heavily on rear stability — something that clearly affected Piastri. Norris, however, thrived.
According to team principal Andrea Stella, the tricky track surface highlighted the Briton’s unique adaptability. “These special conditions, with little grip, suit Lando perfectly,” Stella explained. “He can naturally extract performance in those situations. It’s almost the opposite of Oscar’s strengths.”
The result was a commanding drive that reminded everyone of Norris’s natural talent — and his ability to deliver when the car finally gives him what he needs.
A battle far from over
Even with his win and return to the top of the standings, Norris isn’t getting carried away. The McLaren may be quick, but it’s still temperamental, demanding precision and patience to unlock its potential.
“It’s about finding that sweet spot,” he said. “When everything aligns, it works beautifully. But it doesn’t happen often enough yet.”
As the championship heads into its final stretch, one thing is certain: Norris has rediscovered his voice, his confidence, and his momentum. The question now is whether McLaren can keep delivering the car he wants — before his title fight slips away again.
After all, as Norris himself admitted with a wry smile, “When the car’s good, I’m good. It’s just about making sure it stays that way.”
