Lando Norris’ former McLaren teammate, Carlos Sainz, explained what he finds frustrating about Norris.
Carlos Sainz was Lando Norris’ teammate at McLaren for two seasons before joining Ferrari in 2021. They were, and remain, good friends, earning the nickname “CarLando” during their time driving for the Papaya team.
Norris is currently in a title fight with teammate Oscar Piastri, putting him at the centre of media attention. That’s allowed him to showcase his greatest strengths, but it has also exposed his biggest weaknesses. Any mistakes between now and the end of the season will be thrust under the microscope.
When asked about his former teammate, Sainz explained what frustrates him about Norris.
Carlos Sainz says Lando Norris is the most open driver on the grid
In his title battle with Piastri, Norris’ mentality has been questioned. Piastri is cool, calm and composed. His biggest strength is his consistency, earning the Aussie comparisons to four-time world champion Alain Prost.
Norris, in contrast, wears his heart on his sleeve. He experiences mental highs and lows depending on race results, and because of that, has peaks and troughs in form throughout a season.
Martin Brundle thinks Piastri will win the championship because of that, but Sainz doesn’t think it’s a weakness of Norris’. He said that all drivers feel the same way, and the Brit is the only one to show it to that extent in front of the media. That invites the narrative that Lando has a weak mentality.
Sainz explained to the Chequered Flag Podcast, “He’s very good at showing himself. That’s a great thing if you’re a Lando fan. You appreciate Lando for that. It’s also another easy way to criticize Lando, because he will open to the media, to people, more than any other driver on the grid.
“He will be more open, and people use that against him. I sometimes find it a bit ironic and a bit frustrating towards him. He’s probably the only guy being 100% genuine on his feelings and the way he thinks, and then people are going back at him.
“It’s almost a bit sad to see how society works nowadays, that he’s given a hard time for opening up when probably the 19 other drivers have similar levels of doubts.”
Any doubts in Norris’ mind early in the season may well have been relieved. He’s won three of his last four races, and is breathing down the neck of Piastri.
Lando Norris has proven his mental strength this season
Norris’ championship hopes have been on a knife’s edge for a number of races. Despite that, in high-pressure environments, Norris has kept a cool head and kept himself in the fight with steely performances.
It started in Austria, where Piastri filled the mirrors of Norris for the first half of the race. Norris had to fend off a series of relentless attacks from Piastri, and did so expertly. At one stage he allowed his teammate to pass him into turn three, only to repass with the DRS on the next straight.
Norris won his home grand prix at Silverstone, something he was desperate to do before the race, to continue cutting into Piastri’s championship lead. He lost out to Piastri at Spa, as the Aussie overtook him on lap one, but Norris bounced back brilliantly in Hungary to snatch a win back.
He executed a brave one-stop strategy to perfection, again battling with his teammate. In the dying laps a desperate Piastri charged up to the gearbox of the Brit, but he held his nerve and hung onto the win.
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 284 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 275 |
These are monumental points swings in the championship fight. In Hungary, Piastri had the opportunity to extend his championship lead to 23 points. Instead, the drivers enter the summer break with only nine points between them.
Norris has had the opportunity to sit and think about his season so far. We return soon to Zandvoort for the second half of the season, and only then will we discover if Norris can keep his cool in this championship fight.