Norris ready to fight: ‘I’m the most complete driver I’ve ever been’

Lando Norris believes he’s in the best shape of his Formula 1 life – and just in time for a high-stakes title fight with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

The Briton, who claimed his maiden Grand Prix win last season, believes his experience and refined skills have elevated him to new heights in his quest for the title, making him the most complete driver he’s ever been in his career.

Reflecting on his growth since last year’s campaign, where he challenged Max Verstappen’s dominance, Norris says his potential is unchanged but he’s better equipped to showcase it consistently.

Preparedness Built on Experience

“Nothing makes my life feel different, it’s just your preparedness for this moment, for this battle,” he said, speaking to RACER. “From a racing side, I've learned a lot of things. Just generally more experience.”

Norris highlighted how experience has indeed sharpened his ability to handle the complexities of Formula 1.

“What comes with experience is just dealing with more situations, going through more things, understanding your team better, them understanding you better,” he added.

“So naturally, you're just more prepared for any situation.”

Beyond preparation, Norris also emphasized improvements in his driving craft, from tyre management to outright pace.

“You’re more prepared, but the second part is actually being a better driver on top of that,” he said. “Can you actually drive the car quicker? Can you save the tyres in a better way? Which are normally the harder things, I would say.”

“But also, especially for Oscar, in his third year of Formula 1, a lot of that just comes with experience, too.”

“The most complete driver i’ve ever been”

Norris says this refinement has made him more capable of extracting performance under pressure, without expecting the competition to get any easier.

“I think I'm going to say it in every interview I do, probably from now on – maybe not ever – but I feel now more like the most complete driver I've ever been. I feel like I'm ready to tackle more challenges, and all of these things,” he said.

“It doesn't necessarily make it easier, though. You're still racing the best drivers in the world who can drive the car just as quick as you.

“So it doesn't make things easier, but you're just more prepared. And I think at times, that just allows you to show more of your potential.”

Brown: “Lando’s in a Great Place”

McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown believes Norris has already been proving his quality in key moments – and that old narratives about his weaknesses no longer hold up.

“I think Lando's in a great place,” Brown said. “There was also a time Lando couldn't win from pole, according to the world, and he's won four of the last five races [he’s started] from pole. So I think this kind of narrative around Lando is not accurate today.

• Read also: McLaren will let Piastri and Norris shape F1 title celebrations

“He's open, kind of wears his emotions on his sleeve, so to speak. I think everyone's different, but I think he's in a great place. I've never seen him in a better place.

“[In Budapest after qualifying] I think the Lando of a year ago maybe would have been more critical on himself. He's doing an awesome job. So, no, I think that is much like the he can't win from pole stat.

“Now that he's won four or five races from pole, no one seems to be talking about that. I think you guys should write about that.”

Brown also compared Norris’s situation to that of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in terms of the lingering and overdone “can’t win from pole” tale.

“There's another stat out there from [Charles Leclerc], who I'm a big fan of, who's not won that many races from pole, and I don't think that's anything on him,” he argued.

“I think that's [a reflection of] how awesome he is over a lap and maybe can carry a car over a lap that doesn't have the ultimate race pace.

“So that's not intended to be disparaging on him at all. I think he's a huge talent.

"But my point is kind of a good narrative, and then when that narrative goes away, no one kind of, it's almost like the retraction's always on the back page. And I think Lando's in a great place.”

With McLaren enjoying its most competitive a season in years, Norris’ evolution into what he calls the “most complete driver” he’s ever been could be the deciding factor in one of the tightest title fights of the modern era.

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