In the high-pressure world of Formula 1, where every decision can have a significant impact on the outcome of a race, it's essential to maintain focus and avoid getting distracted by external factors.
Lando Norris and his race engineer, Will Joseph, have mastered this skill, as evidenced by their recent success in Singapore.
Norris' victory at Marina Bay – his third win of the season—showcased the effectiveness of this mindset.
Not only did the Briton overcome his early-race challenges, like holding his own from pole at the start, he also led the race from start to finish without faltering.
For Joseph, the key to their approach is simple: they don't allow external pressures or unwanted narratives to distract them from what really matters.
“We don’t need to discuss those things,” Joseph told the F1 Nation podcast, referring to the narrative that Norris couldn’t maintain leads from pole.
“We talk about strengths, we go through how our driving was on Friday, and where opportunities
might be.”
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Joseph emphasized that their focus stays on performance, rather than addressing outside noise.
“We don’t need to dwell on things that other people say are a problem that we don’t necessarily see,” he said.
“In the factory we have reviewed race starts. We thought we’d find something special. But it wasn’t as bad as everyone was trying to make it out to be.
“We discuss the things that are in our control. And the results show. We put some demons to bed. People can no longer say we can’t get out of the first corner, we can’t lead on the first lap.
“We led start to finish and didn’t put a foot wrong.”
However, the weekend wasn't entirely without incident. During the race, Norris briefly touched the barriers, a moment that could have derailed the team’s efforts.
But McLaren’s calm and measured approach shone through once again.
“When Lando said he hit the wall, we do our normal procedure to check over everything,” Joseph explained. “What you’re trying to do is: have I got a puncture? Have I damaged the front wing?
“If you’ve damaged anything else, then there’s not much you can do about it. If you’ve damaged the front wing, you can stop and change it.
“You are trying to make that assessment quickly. The damage wasn’t severe enough to do anything.
“When we made the stop, we’d already decided that we didn’t need to do anything with the front wing.
“Did it affect performance? In a very small manner. When we look afterwards, it scuffed the data. Pressure was lost. But small, I’d say.”
Joseph summed up the weekend in Singapore by praising Norris for his exceptional driving and McLaren’s collective effort.
“He did a fantastic job. From Lap 1, we’ve been on the pace. Lando demonstrated how quick he can be,” he said.
The team's strategy focused on making small improvements and managing the race effectively, which paid off in a dominating performance.
"We tried to take small steps to make the car quicker. He has been incredible.
“In the race we said there were two ways it might go - at the beginning it became clear we could push on and build a gap. “Neither one of us expected the gap to be so large.
“We cleared a Safety Car window then a pit stop window. The pace was phenomenal. We were surprised how much pace there was,” Joseph concluded, underscoring how their calm and calculated approach had led to a flawless performance.
For Norris and Joseph, staying focused on what they can control—while avoiding dwelling on external factors—has become the cornerstone of their success, and it’s a mindset that will likely serve them well in races to come.
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