Lando Norris has insisted the dominant win within the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix that has taken him again to the summit of F1’s world championship doesn’t but carry any wider significance till he follows it up with “two, three or four in a row”.
Oscar Piastri’s unbroken 189-day keep on the high of the Drivers’ Championship was ended by Norris on Sunday because the Briton claimed victory with the biggest profitable margin of the season whereas his McLaren team-mate completed fifth.
The end result fingers Norris a slender one-point championship benefit over Piastri, with Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen nonetheless within the hunt too at 36 factors behind, with 4 race weekends of the season to go.
The Briton admits his type in Mexico made the occasion “one of my best weekends of the whole season” however, in a 12 months wherein he has struggled to persistently extract the very best of the group’s MCL39 automotive, he was not getting carried away by the eye-catching end result.
Requested if he had doubted himself earlier the 12 months, when common errors in his long-time stronghold of qualifying proved significantly expensive in his combat in opposition to Piastri, Norris replied: “I actually did [doubt myself], as a result of I by no means wish to blame my automotive.
“Definitely when the automotive was profitable and Oscar was profitable, the very last thing I may do is use the excuse that my automotive just isn’t ok.
“I wasn’t getting as much as grips and wasn’t discovering a approach to make it work, and I am discovering a greater approach to make it work now.
“So it’s as simple as that. Of course, it gives you good confidence.
“One race, actually, I do not care about.”
Four race weekends now remain in this year’s title battle – with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which stages the year’s penultimate Sprint, next up on November 9.
Norris added: “I am not a believer in momentum in some methods. One nice weekend actually does not imply something.
“Two, three or four in a row means something.”
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The group erupted with boos heard as McLaren driver Lando Norris spoke on his Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix victory
‘It isn’t about reinventing myself’ – what now for Piastri after lack of title lead?
Whereas Norris’ type has steadily improved over latest months, Piastri has now gone 4 races with out a podium end in a sequence of outcomes that has seen his once-comfortable 34-point title lead over Norris fully evaporate.
Whereas the Australian’s race from seventh on Sunday’s grid in Mexico Metropolis was all the time going to be considered one of harm limitation, Piastri revealed there had truly been an extra problem at play for him throughout the 71 laps – making adjustments to his driving type to get essentially the most out of the automotive.
“For me the biggest thing is trying to learn the things I wanted to learn today,” mentioned Piastri, who completed on driver of the day Oliver Bearman’s tail.
“Yesterday it became obvious after the session that there was a few things I needed to change pretty majorly in how I was driving.
“At this time was about attempting to restrict the harm, but in addition attempting to study some issues about that. If I’ve made some progress with that I will be comfortable.
“Clearly when your team-mate wins the race ending fifth is nothing that extravagant.
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The championship battle continues to warmth up as McLaren’s Lando Norris takes the lead after cruising to a cushty win in a chaotic Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix!
“I’ve just had to drive very differently the last couple of weekends – or I’ve not driven differently when I should have.
“I believe that is been a bit of bit unusual to get my head round as a result of I have been driving precisely the identical as I’ve all 12 months.
“It’s just the last couple of weekends the car or the tyres or something required quite a different way of driving. I’ve just not really gone to that.”
Piastri added: “I’ve tried to change it up a bit today and once we analyse if it’s effective or not that will hopefully help see some progress.
“The automotive’s clearly not modified for some time so it is nothing to do with the automotive. Given how the tempo has differentiated, clearly Lando has discovered it simpler to dial into that and I have not.
“It’s important to remember the other 19 races and the way I’ve been driving has been working pretty well.
“It is about including some instruments to the toolbox, somewhat than reinventing myself.”
‘We need to be faster’ – Verstappen and Red Bull’s reality check?
Verstappen also gained two places in the race, having adopted a different tyre strategy to those around him, after his own qualifying struggles to finish on the podium for the sixth race running.
From 104 points back on Piastri at the end of August, the Dutchman has raced back into late contention for a fifth consecutive title but the scale of Norris’ win on Sunday underlined that McLaren remained formidable.
“It is wonderful to suppose totally different [on strategy], however an important factor is we have to be sooner,” he mentioned.
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Max Verstappen left dissatisfied after his thrilling chase to Leclerc disrupted by a Digital Security Automobile in a chaotic Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix!
“We had some really good races, but even in the races we won if you look at the tyre management then McLaren are still very strong.
“Then in a weekend once they have extra tempo usually you haven’t any likelihood.”
Formula 1’s thrilling title race continues in Brazil with a Sprint weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 7-9, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
