Norris shrugs off title momentum claims: ‘It’s one race at a time’

Lando Norris may have thrilled the home crowd with a dramatic British Grand Prix victory, but the McLaren star isn’t buying into the idea that the Formula 1 championship momentum is now swinging in his favour.

Despite clinching his second consecutive win after Austria – his fourth of the season – and closing the gap to teammate Oscar Piastri to just eight points in the Drivers’ standings, Norris insists the title fight remains wide open, and emotionally taxing.

The Briton’s triumph last weekend came under unusual circumstances, with Norris inheriting the top step after Piastri was handed a 10-second penalty for a Safety Car infringement.

Up until that point, the Australian had looked the quicker of the two McLaren drivers, leading for the majority of the opening stint. But when the pit stops shook out, with Piastri’s penalty coming into play, it was Norris who emerged in front – and from there, he didn’t look back.

“It’s still just one race at a time”

Still, Norris is staying grounded. When asked if momentum is now on his side, the Brit pushed back.

“I mean, it’s tough to say it,” Norris said in the post-race press conference. “Look, you can always class it as momentum or whatever, but I don’t think that… yeah. I don’t know. It’s whatever you want to believe in the end of the day.

“I think it’s still just one race at a time. Obviously, I had a good race last weekend and we had a good battle, and we got close, and I was looking forward to another good battle.

“So, you know, I give my credit to Oscar at the same time because he drove an extremely good race. But, you know, it’s two wins, but they’ve not come easy by any means.

“We’ve had good fights, but they’re pretty strenuous, exhausting weekends because you’re fighting for hundredths and thousandths, and you’re fighting for perfection every session and I’m against some pretty good drivers.

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“So, it takes a lot out of you, especially when you have a race like today. So, I’ve had two good weekends and, of course, I would love to continue that momentum, but it still requires more consistency.

“Two weekends doesn’t mean anything otherwise. And I just need to keep it up and keep working hard.”

McLaren’s Perspective: A Turning Point in Montreal

McLaren CEO Zak Brown offered insight into Norris’ mindset, suggesting that the latter’s high-profile clash – and mistake – with Piastri at last month’s Canadian Grand Prix has paradoxically boosted the team’s confidence.

The incident, which saw both drivers lose crucial points, was a tense moment for McLaren, but Brown believes it has strengthened their resolve.

“I think Montreal was actually a nice moment for all of us, in hindsight,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “It just took the air out of the balloon and we got it over with, and everyone was talking about it.

“I feel like it’s raised everyone’s confidence and comfort; it’s happened, it was a mistake. We’ll see other incidents in the near future, but they’ll be racing mistakes and racing mistakes are going to happen.”

As the championship battle intensifies, Norris and Piastri continue to push McLaren to new heights, with the team firmly in contention for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles.

For Norris, however, the focus remains on consistency rather than momentum, as he prepares for the next challenge in a fiercely competitive season.

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