Lando Norris must follow Nico Rosberg instructions as McLaren ace faces major change
Lando Norris is under the spotlight after a messy weekend in Bahrain.
Lando Norris continued his open approach to discussing his on-track struggles after the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, but the McLaren driver would benefit from taking the advice offered to him by former world champion Nico Rosberg last season. Rosberg, who retired from motorsport after beating Lewis Hamilton to the Drivers’ Championship crown in 2016, offered the Brit some candid advice after he scored a pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix last season.
Despite ending the session two-tenths clear of title rival Verstappen, Norris pointed out the flaws in his pole position lap. "As Andrea Stella said, we know by now that when Lando is not happy about his lap, then he's on pole position,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1 afterwards.
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"So let's hear more than that then, even though I would recommend to Lando to always talk glass-half-full rather than glass-half-empty and not keep repeating the mistakes and bad things and things like that. Just keep it positive. Just celebrate the pole - awesome job, that's the way it is."
Despite Rosberg’s advice, Norris continued to adopt a self-critical approach when discussing his sessions with the media. After qualifying a lowly sixth in Bahrain on Saturday, the 25-year-old lambasted his performance, telling Sky Sports F1 reporter Rachel Brookes: “I'm just not quick enough.”
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Norris’ demeanour didn’t improve after the race, either. The Brit climbed to third at the chequered flag but was unsatisfied as he watched his team-mate, Oscar Piastri, climb to the top step of the podium. Sloppy racecraft cost him time in a battle with Charles Leclerc, and a grid box violation caused a five-second penalty that lost him a place to George Russell.
"Every time I did one thing good, I did two bad in a way," the 25-year-old ranted after the race. "I just kept stopping myself from making as much progress as I should have done today."
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While Norris’ desire for perfection is admirable, he would benefit from heeding Rosberg’s advice. After all, the McLaren racer built his championship lead to three points in Bahrain and with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in crisis mode following a miserable weekend, the fight for the title looks likely to be an internal one.
Two things are now clear heading into round five of the 2025 season: Piastri is the biggest threat to Norris, followed closely by the Briton himself. The Bristol-born race needs to dust himself off quickly and regain his positive outlook if he is to avoid losing the championship lead in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
