'In the past, I cared too much' – How keeping his head down is aiding Norris' championship push

Lando Norris has admitted that he feels he “cared too much” about others’ perspectives of him in the past, with the McLaren driver suggesting that he has learned to “deal with those things better” as he focuses on having confidence in himself.

After taking victory in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix – a result that saw him extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 24 points over team mate Oscar Piastri – Norris was quizzed on how he had found his rhythm at this stage of the season, to which he responded: “Just ignore everyone that talks c**p about you.”

Asked to elaborate on this later – and how he was navigating the external noise that can come with being in a title fight – the Briton stated that it was “nothing in particular” before going to explain his approach.

“There’s always people out there that try and bring you down a little bit,” Norris continued. “I guess it’s quite normal. But yeah, also, when you’re on a big stage, there’s a lot of people that talk and say things, try and influence other people to have effects.

“Even the cheers and the not-cheers – you still hear it. It’s not the nicest thing. But I think it’s something I’ve done well over the last few months. I care a lot about people’s perspectives and how I’m portrayed and things in the media.

“I probably cared too much – even at the beginning of the year, I think I cared too much, and probably it was affecting me in not the best ways.”

Norris went on to detail how he has started to handle those challenges in a way that he finds more effective.

“I’ve just learned to deal with those things better – not by not caring, because I still always want to have a good impression,” the 26-year-old McLaren racer conceded. “I never want to be rude or do those things. But I’ll always try and make my point and say what I believe in.

“That’s one of the things I’ve learned the most: just to be true to yourself, have confidence in yourself, believe in yourself, and speak your mind. So yeah, it’s more just keeping my head down and concentrating on myself.”