After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what stood out to him, what went well, and what needs to change? This time: the immense self-confidence that Lando Norris suddenly possesses and exudes after his victory in Mexico.
Last week, I praised Max Verstappen as the winner in my column, but this time the praise truly goes to Lando Norris. This was, of course, a perfect weekend for him, and he was dominant, to an extraordinary degree. The fact that he is now even leading the World Championship will have a significant impact on him, in a positive sense.
The victory was glorious, Norris dominated from the start: he got off to the best start of anyone. Impressive. And he came across as confident both before and after the race. Although? Norris mentioned in passing on Saturday after the qualifiers that he has been sleeping poorly lately. This was not widely picked up, but it may say something about the tension and pressure he is under.
This was already the case and will certainly continue to be so, even now that the difference is only one point with Oscar Piastri. However, I believe that leading the World Championship will now give Norris even more self-confidence. He wants to keep pushing. And the difference was really significant this weekend in Mexico compared to the rest, including his teammate.
Interestingly, this is not a coincidence: several people have stated that Norris excels on circuits with high downforce, while Piastri performs better on circuits with low downforce. This is even confirmed by Andrea Stella, the team boss of McLaren. Looking back at past races, there seems to be some truth in this.
Of course, this does not mean that the title race is over. On the contrary, it has been, is, and remains incredibly exciting. However, Norris now has the momentum, while Piastri does not. The most unfortunate part for the Australian is that he doesn’t understand why he’s slower.
And what about Max Verstappen? Well, he got everything he could out of the race with Red Bull, at least as far as they could influence it. The maximum he could have achieved was P2, but he was unlucky with the virtual safety car in the final lap. However, his strategy was sound and his actions were commendable: he knows that he has to give it his all if he wants to make a mark in the World Championship. So, he went full throttle for the lead in the first corner from P5 and continued to fight for every position in the following laps.
It’s always exciting to watch, but that’s just how Max is. Winning was not in the cards this weekend, that much was clear early on. And the championship? Being 36 points behind Norris and 35 behind Piastri is quite a lot. It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly becoming more challenging.
One thing is for sure, it will continue to be thrilling.
