Norris Adopts Opposite Mindset to Hamilton After Crucial Championship Shift

Lando Norris finds his groove as title battle heats up

Lando Norris has shot back to the top of the F1 championship standings for the first time since April, and he’s doing it with a smile on his face.

The 25-year-old McLaren driver now leads teammate Oscar Piastri by just a single point with four race weekends left in what’s become a thrilling end-of-season battle.

F1 analyst James Hinchcliffe has spotted something interesting about Norris’s approach compared to fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton.

“He can still crack a joke, he can still crack a smile. It’s the polar opposite to Lewis,” Hinchcliffe said on the F1 Nation podcast. “Lewis has a bad day; you’re lucky you get three words out of him.”

It’s this lighter approach that might be key to Norris’s recent success.

“I think some people need that focus. That’s how they get the best out of themselves. Cut all distractions out,” the Canadian analyst explained.

“Lando has identified himself as someone who performs best when light and free. Even when he’s had bad days this year, he still comes into the media pen.”

This represents a real turnaround for Norris, who struggled earlier in the season against Max Verstappen.

Reports suggest he’s been blocking social media noise and other distractions, which seems to be paying off in a big way.

“Lando will still crack a smile, ‘Yeah, hey, that one sucked, you know?’ I think that’s been a conscious thing of his, to be light, because I think he performs well when he’s light,” Hinchcliffe added.

Norris has previously been open about his struggles with mental health and has developed his own ways to manage those challenges while competing at the highest level.

## Mexico victory a ‘pivotal’ moment

Norris’s commanding win in Mexico City has now made him the favorite to take the championship, putting him in a much better position than his teammate Piastri.

He absolutely dominated the race – claiming pole position with a huge margin in qualifying before cruising to victory by a massive 30 seconds.

Hinchcliffe believes this performance could be the turning point of the season.

“I think we could look back on this race after Abu Dhabi, and look at this one as a pretty pivotal one, because I think it goes one of two ways.”

“This was an absolutely dominant lights-to-flag from pole, massive margin in qualifying, victory by 30 seconds. That’s the kind of confidence that a driver really wants.”

But the title fight is far from over.

Norris, Piastri and Verstappen all remain in championship contention heading into the final four races of the season.

“This could kick Lando into an entirely another gear, or now the eyes are on him, and now, Oscar is like, ‘I’m not protecting a lead anymore, the only way I get this back is by being aggressive’, and we see him come back,” Hinchcliffe suggested.

The Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos is up next, featuring the season’s penultimate sprint weekend as this thrilling title battle continues to heat up.