Lando Norris told to ‘keep feelings to himself’ by F1 steward after ‘stupid’ admission

Does Lando Norris need the right mindset to realise his potential in F1?

F1 steward Johnny Herbert has urged Lando Norris to “keep his feelings to himself” with rival drivers likely to “take advantage” of the McLaren driver’s weaknesses.

Norris enjoyed a productive first half of the F1 2024 season with McLaren, collecting his maiden victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May.

Lando Norris temperament under the microscope

However, the British driver has missed out on a number of opportunities to add to his tally with an ill-timed pit stop in Canada, a poor start in Spain and a questionable tyre choice at Silverstone among the moments costing Norris dearly.

Norris also finished second to team-mate Oscar Piastri in Hungary following a mid-race team orders row.

The 24-year-old cut a downbeat figure at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, the last race before F1’s summer break, telling media including PlanetF1.com that he wanted to “forget about it” for a while after losing a lot of points to “stupid stuff.”

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He said: “I think I just need to reset.

“I’ve given away a lot of points over the last three, four races, just because of stupid stuff and mistakes, bad starts.

“I don’t know why. It’s just silly things, it’s not even difficult stuff. It’s just Turn 1, try to stay out of trouble, trying to make sure there’s a gap and not get hit and I put myself off the track, so just some stupid things.

“The pace is good, the team are doing an amazing job, so I’m happy and in a way I feel like I just don’t want to take a break, I just want to continue, because we’re in good form.”

Norris, who trails Max Verstappen by 78 points in the Drivers’ standings with 10 races remaining, went on to suggest that he is “probably trying a bit too hard and paying the price for that.”

Herbert, the former grand prix racer who has served as the driver representative on the FIA stewards’ panel at various races in F1 2024, fears Norris is struggling with “the mental aspect” of F1.

And he has urged the McLaren driver to be less transparent, claiming his rivals will pounce on any sign of weakness.

“It is the mental side which is very tough,” Herbert told Poker Apps.

“After Hungary, Lando probably felt it was not the right call. Then at Spa, he went into the gravel in a poor start. He’s had two races when it has gone against him while Oscar Piastri, his team-mate, has won a race and been on the podium.

“Lando is very honest, but in my opinion it is something he should have kept to himself and not shared to the world.

“I would have tried to correct the errors but I wouldn’t tell the world what I was feeling because that is something that other drivers will try to use to their advantage.

“He is under pressure but as a GP winner now he should be able to cope.

“His rivalry with Oscar is one that can benefit both. They can feed off each other and push each other.”

Herbert’s comments come after Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, who has worked closely alongside Verstappen, identified Piastri as the “mentally stronger” of the two McLaren drivers.

And he has been impressed by Piastri’s rate of improvement in his second season with McLaren, culminating in his maiden victory in Budapest last month.

Marko told Sky Germany: “It seems Piastri is mentally the stronger one. Oscar has gradually closed the gap to Lando and is even faster at times.”

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