Lando Norris named his ability to ignore the critics who ‘talk c***’ about him as the key to his World Championship comeback after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Brit clocked up his seventh triumph of the campaign, leading Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen across the line in a memorable Sunday performance in Sao Paulo.
Norris stretched his Drivers’ Championship lead to 24 points in Brazil, following up a dominant sprint race on Saturday by clinching pole position for the Grand Prix, and then defending that spot throughout Sunday’s outing. The 25-year-old was untouchable, while team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri laboured to a P5 finish after picking up a 10-second time penalty for contact with Kimi Antonelli.
Probed over his late-season title charge, Norris revealed his secret. “I just ignore everyone who talks c*** and focus on myself,” he explained. “The team are doing an amazing job and have given me a great car.
“We’re pushing hard every single weekend, and I’m pushing hard away from the track. It’s rewarding. It doesn’t come easy, that’s for sure, and I don’t think we were the quickest out there on track today, but I’m glad to take home the win.”
Standing alongside Norris and Antonelli on the podium was Verstappen, who recovered from a pit-lane start to finish third in a remarkable performance at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Yet, despite his heroics, the Dutchman was forced to confront his bleak title hopes. He is now 49 points behind the World Championship leader with just three race weekends remaining.
However, Norris is not writing Verstappen off yet. “Not at all,” he replied when asked if he was eyeing up the title after his second successive Grand Prix win, “It’s a great win, but seeing how quick Max was today, I’m disappointed that we weren’t quicker.
“That’s where my mind is at, at the moment. I want to see the team to congratulate them, but also to find out why we weren’t quick enough. We’ll see what we can do. There’s not a long way to go, but things can change so quickly, like we’ve seen today. I’ll focus on myself, ignore everyone, keep my head down and keep pushing.”
Norris now has three races remaining in his quest to become an F1 world champion. There is still a sprint race coming up in Qatar, too, meaning there is a strong possibility that the Bristol-born prospect could wrap up the title with a round to spare.
