Lando Norris is pushing back against suggestions he's too respectful on track, insisting his off-track demeanor doesn't translate to a lack of fight behind the wheel.
McLaren's strong season has seen team papaya challenge Red Bull, with Norris taking his first win in Miami. However, missed opportunities, like Austria where he couldn't overtake Verstappen, have fueled questions about his racing style.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner suggested Norris' frustration from the Sprint race the day before led to overly ambitious moves, while McLaren CEO Zak Brown defended the Briton’s driving.
But Norris feels he is ultimately the one who is best-placed to judge his approach.
“I am happy with my balance,” Norris said, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I respect and accept what people say, but I know what I think and I know how to do, which I think I do better than 99 per cent of other people.
“I always try to take in and improve the way I work, the way I think, the way I speak.
“But I can say and think what I want and I can do it for myself better than anyone else. So I don’t care who speaks negatively about me from that point of view.”
Norris made clear that public opinion won't change his tactics against Verstappen, or anyone else, while rejecting the idea that his friendly personality off track hinders him on it.
“I don’t care what people say,” he argued. “I’m a good guy and I try to be respectful in every way I can. But that has no relevance to what happens on the track.”
He emphasized the difference between racing styles today and the past.
“What happened 10 years, 15 or 20 years ago is completely different from today. If I wanted to, I could be a lot more of a jerk and act that kind of character. But I don’t need to, I don’t want to.”
While recent races haven't produced ideal results, Norris remains positive about McLaren's overall performance.
“I feel good. Probably, in a sense, the best we’ve felt,” he stated. “Yes, we’ve come off the back of a couple of tougher races and not ideal endings.
“But I think in terms of our confidence level as a team, it’s probably higher than it’s ever been. I’m not overly optimistic or overly confident in any way.
“We’re doing so many things good, like I said many times. We’ve been the best-performing team over the last two months, almost.
“We know we can almost only get better, because we’ve got things to work on and we’re working very hard on those things.
“I feel good, also from a driving point of view. I probably feel the most on top of things, as I have felt. It’s been such a long season and things can change.
“But from a team side and from a personal side, I’m happy that things are going in the right direction.”
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