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Lando Norris has admitted that he “surprised himself” with how calmly he handled the pressure applied by Max Verstappen during the closing rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
McLaren had dominated much of the campaign, but the balance of power shifted after Red Bull introduced an upgrade package at Monza that transformed the RB21. Verstappen then reduced a 104-point deficit to just two points behind Norris after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Dutchman capitalised on every opportunity, including McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas. Both Norris and Oscar Piastri were excluded after their cars were found to have exceeded the legal limit for plank wear, a result that quickly gave Red Bull renewed belief that the championship could be turned around.
Despite the escalating pressure, Norris remained composed through the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The stakes were particularly clear at the finale: he could not finish lower than third if Verstappen won.
Norris said he had expected the Las Vegas disqualification to make him more nervous, but it had the opposite effect. Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, he explained: “Obviously, the disqualification is the thing that gave them hope, really. It certainly didn’t make me more nervous. Honestly, I don’t know; I was surprised.”
He also rejected the idea that Verstappen’s title-winning experience automatically gave him an advantage in the decisive races.
“I surprised myself with how not nervous I was,” Norris added. “I was never that confident, but I just wasn’t nervous going into Abu Dhabi on Sunday, or even going into the Abu Dhabi or Qatar weekends.”
The result was a notably measured approach from Norris at the moment when the championship margin had fallen to its narrowest point. “I was surprised at how relaxed I was on Sunday in Abu Dhabi when, at the end of the day, it was only two points,” he said.
That composure became one of the defining features of McLaren’s tense finish to the season. While Verstappen’s recovery created relentless pressure, Norris did not allow the shrinking gap to dictate his mindset. His comments underline how important that emotional control was during a finale in which the smallest mistake could have changed the championship outcome.
McLaren’s wider late-season challenge is also reflected in Oscar Piastri’s assessment of the team’s key weakness, adding further context to the pressure the team faced.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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