Lando Norris says he has found a way to channel the pressure that comes with racing at the top of Formula 1 after admitting he can still “barely eat or drink anything” on Sundays.
Norris has been in the upper midfield for years, but thanks to extensive improvements to McLaren’s car, he is now a genuine frontrunner in F1. With his first two wins this season, he is now an outsider among the title contenders against incumbent Max Verstappen.
Norris says he has not felt any extra pressure from his new status and the expectations placed on him. However, on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, he freely admitted that he still finds it difficult to eat or drink on qualifying or race day due to nerves.
“The pressure is always there. I’m still so nervous before qualifying and racing, I’m still just as excited and nervous,” he said.
“I hardly eat anything on Sundays and I struggle to drink anything on Sundays, just because of the nervousness and just because of the pressure.
“I think it’s just about how do you turn that into something positive, you know? How do you not let it affect you negatively and how do you actually use it in a good way to focus on the right things?
“When you go into a qualifying round and have to go out and perform, you always get butterflies in your stomach because you’re so nervous and under so much pressure. If you brake a meter too late or turn at the wrong time or whatever, it’s over. The game is over.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Erik Junius
“But at the same time, it’s an incredible feeling that I don’t think you can replicate in a lot of other sports and a lot of other things. I’m not entirely sure, but I’m still nervous and I probably always will be nervous.”
Norris says managing his nerves was the hardest part of his first few F1 seasons, and he believes these issues have helped him find a better balance between over-excitement and reliable performance.
“I struggled with it a lot at the beginning of my Formula 1 career, but I think I’ve learned to deal with it pretty well now,” he explained.
“And that’s helped me in my current position, where I may not be neck and neck with Max in the championship fight, but I just have to deal with more questions and the pressure of having to perform every single weekend.
“But I think because I’ve struggled with it quite a lot in the past, I feel like I can handle it a lot better now and so it doesn’t have a big impact.
“I feel comfortable just going out and riding and that’s all I can do. I really don’t have to think about those external things.
“At the point where I am now, fighting for wins and for the championship, it honestly seems like a normal weekend.”
