Norris opens on turning nerves and pressure into performance tools

Lando Norris has revealed that despite his years and recent success in Formula 1, he still experiences significant nerves on race weekends, admitting to barely drinking or eating on race day.

The McLaren charger is very much the man of the hour in Formula 1, having claimed last weekend his second career win in the sport by inflicting a crushing defeat on championship leader Max Verstappen.

The 24-year-old will be racing this weekend at Monza with the aim of reducing once more his Red Bull rival’s still comfortable 70-point advantage in the standings, and to fulfil that objective he’ll be relying on the competitive edge gained by McLaren’s MCL38 over the summer.

However, despite his elevated status and the accompanying expectations, Norris remains candid about the challenges he faces with nerves and pressure on race weekends.

"There's always pressure. I still get so nervous for qualifying, for the races, I still get just as excited and just as nervous," he said.

"I barely eat anything on Sundays. I struggle to drink anything on Sundays, just because of nerves and just because of pressure.”

• Read also: McLaren top brass salute ‘absolutely faultless’ Norris

But Norris has found a way to transform this pressure into a positive force, using it to sharpen his focus rather than letting it overwhelm him.

He also sees pressure as an integral part of the sport, something that drives him rather than deters him.

"I think it's just about how you turn that into a positive thing, you know? How do you not let it affect you in a bad way, and how can you actually use it in in a good way, to help you focus on the correct things?” he added.

"When you enter any qualifying lap, when you have to go out and deliver, it gives you butterflies every time, because there are so many nerves, so much pressure. And if you brake a metre too late, or you turn in at the wrong time or whatever it is, it is finished. Game over.

"But it's an amazing feeling at the same time, that I don't feel you can replicate in many other sports and many other things. I'm not too sure, but I still get nervous and I probably will forever get nervous."

Reflecting on his early years in Formula 1, Norris acknowledged that managing these nerves has been one of his greatest challenges.

“Because I struggled a lot with this when I started in Formula 1, I feel like I learned pretty well how to handle it,” he said.

“And that's also helped me even in the position that I am now, when I'm maybe not directly in the championship fight neck and neck with Max, but just dealing with more questions and the pressure of having to deliver every single weekend.”

The McLaren driver feels that his struggles have shaped his approach to racing, allowing him to manage the stress of high-stakes competition more effectively.

"But I think because I struggled quite a bit with it in the past, I feel like I'm able to deal with it in a much better way now, and therefore it doesn't have much of an effect,” he explained.

"I'm comfortable that I just have to go out and drive and that's all I can do, really not think about these external things.

"In the place I am now, fighting for wins and fighting in the championship, honestly, I feel like it's another weekend."

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