F1 driver Lando Norris reveals impact of ongoing battle with EXTREME nerves

Lando Norris

Norris reveals impact of ongoing battle with EXTREME nerves

Lando Norris opens up about his pre-race nerves

Harry Whitfield

Monday 2 September 2024 11:57 Updated: 17:29

McLaren driver Lando Norris has expressed the significant impact his nerves have on him before a race or qualifying session.

The British driver is currently embroiled in a world championship battle with three-time champion Max Verstappen, following a dominant display at the Dutch Grand Prix and an Italian GP where he got himself onto the podium while Verstappen could only finish sixth.

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With two wins under his belt earned at Zandvoort and Miami, Norris' confidence should be sky-high, but he has explained how he is still affected by the expectations that come with the job.

This is not the first time that the 24-year-old has opened up about his struggles with anxiety, in 2020 he spoke about his problems dealing with the pressure of being a rookie in his debut season.

Lando Norris took the first win of his career back in May at the Miami GP

McLaren are eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings

Norris still gets race nerves

Many challenges come with being a title contender in F1, the pressure and expectation to deliver at every race weekend being the biggest challenge of them all. Speaking to the media before the Italian GP, Norris stated how he has become used to dealing with the stress of being an F1 driver.

"Because I struggled with that when I started in Formula 1, I feel like I learned how to handle the pressure, and that's helped me in the position I am now.

"Dealing with more questions and the pressure of everyone thinking that I have to deliver every single weekend.

"I also know myself that I have to deliver every single weekend."

Lando Norris is currently 62 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings

Norris went on to explain how the fears of being an F1 driver are still there however: "Externally, there will be more pressure on me. I still get so nervous for qualifying.

"For the races, I still get just as excited and just as nervous. I don't eat anything on Sundays. I struggle to drink on Sundays. Just because I'm nervous.

"But it's just how you turn it into a positive thing and how do you not let it affect you in a bad way?

"When you have to go out and deliver in qualifying it gives me butterflies every time because you know if you brake a metre too late, or turn in at the wrong time, you are finished, it is game over, and the knowledge of that puts you under an intense feeling that I don't think is replicated in many sports."

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton McLaren Lando Norris Dutch Grand Prix Italian GP