Rosberg calls out Norris’ mental game after Montreal ‘misjudgment’

Lando Norris may be one of the most talented drivers on the Formula 1 grid, but according to 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg, the McLaren driver’s biggest battle isn’t with his rivals – it’s with himself.

In the wake of a messy Canadian Grand Prix weekend that ended with Norris crashing into his own teammate, Oscar Piastri, Rosberg didn’t hold back in his post-race analysis on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast.

The former Mercedes charger dissected Norris’ error-strewn performance in Montreal but centered his analysis on Norris’ apparent inability to handle pressure, a recurring issue that resurfaced starkly last weekend.

"Lando, as you mentioned, it's been his Achilles heel this year hasn't it, his mental fragility, his doubts, and they came to the fore again now in Montreal," Rosberg said.

"It's just when the pressure is highest there's these little mistakes that creep in."

Qualifying Woes, Race Day Disaster

Rosberg highlighted a weekend full of small but costly errors for the McLaren driver, starting in qualifying where Norris – with arguably one of the fastest cars on the grid – could manage only seventh.

"They crept in in qualifying where in Q3 he made two major mistakes on his two important laps which meant he only had seventh place on the grid with one of the fastest cars," Rosberg noted.

Indeed, Norris clipped the wall at Turn 7 on his final lap in Q3, then fumbled again in the last corner. His frustrations would only intensify on race day, when he found himself chasing down Piastri before disastrously ploughing into the back of the Australian’s car.

"In the heat of the moment, in the most critical moment where he was trying to pass his championship rival, he did a very strange misjudgment, just driving right into the back of him," Rosberg said, calling the move baffling.

The collision damaged Norris' front wing and suspension, forcing his retirement. Though he was later handed a five-second penalty for causing the incident, the McLaren driver had already fronted up.

• Read also: Rosberg tips Piastri for glory after Montreal ‘watershed’ moment

"I don't expect to pass Oscar on the outside into Turn 1,  I should never have gone for it, I guess, in complete hindsight," Norris admitted post-race.

"I thought he was starting to drift a little bit to the right, so I thought I had a small opportunity to go to the left. But it was way too much risk, especially on my team-mate.

“So, happy nothing happened to him, and I paid the price for my mistake."

Cracks in the Title Chase?

With Norris now 22 points behind Piastri in the standings – more than double the gap coming into the Canadian GP – questions are swirling about whether the Briton’s inner confidence can keep pace with the raw performance of the McLaren.

Rosberg’s remarks may sting, but they tap into a growing concern: that Norris, though brilliant, may still lack the mental steel to go wheel-to-wheel in a true title fight.

And in a season where margins are razor-thin, that fragility could prove decisive.

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