Lando Norris says he doesn’t feel any added pressure – not any more than usual, at least, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix (GP).
Norris claimed an impressive victory at the Dutch GP last weekend to gain further ground on Max Verstappen in the race for the Formula 1 world championship.
The McLaren driver is less than 70 points behind the Dutchman with nine races remaining this season, and the outcome of this weekend’s Italian event could have major implications for the title race.
“I don’t think about expectations,” Norris said Thursday. “There’s always pressure. I’m always very nervous before qualifying, and I always have a mixture of excitement and nervousness before a race.”
“I eat very little on Sundays, and I hardly drink anything on Saturdays, because I’m nervous and I’m aware of the expectations,” explained the 24-year-old Briton. “I think the key is to know how to transform all that into positive energy, so that it doesn’t affect you negatively, so that you know how to use it in a way that you focus on the good things and so on.”
The constructors’ championship in the sights
It was clear last weekend at Zandvoort that Norris’ team had the fastest car on the grid, following the upgrades made to the car. And if that trend continues, then the title race could be spectacular by the end of the campaign, after Verstappen dominated the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
McLaren also narrowed the gap behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship to 30 points as the British team chases its first title since 1998.
It was Norris’ second career victory. His only other triumph came in Miami in May, and he has finished second four times since then.
Verstappen had never been beaten on home soil, but Norris ensured expectations were kept low for the drivers’ championship race.
” [La piste de] Monza is very different. A win is good because it gives you confidence and it puts the team in a good mood, but it doesn’t change your opinion,” Norris said. “We know we’ve been competitive since Miami, we’ve been doing a really good job, and it was a weekend where everything worked for us.”
“We are pushing every weekend, and obviously our goal is to fight for the title in both categories, even if the constructors’ championship seems more realistic than the drivers’,” Norris admitted. “I am doing my best, the team is doing their best, and that’s all we can control.”