Lando Norris opened up about dealing with the pressure of fighting for his first drivers' championship and how he turned his season around after temporarily losing the lead to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Norris made a noticeable mental change during the 2025 Formula 1 season. After being outperformed by Piastri in the first half of the season, the Briton came back fighting after the summer break, with many picking up on the changes in his ability to cope with stress.
Following the summer break, Norris celebrated the two grand prix wins and four podium finishes.
"The first season was very tough, and I'm sure even tougher for others. The team have given me an incredible car this year that has made my life very easy at times," he told Sky Sports F1.
Norris also took the moment to thank his team-mate for his "incredible job" throughout the year.
"At times I struggled against Oscar, who has done an incredible job," he added. "I'm glad I had Oscar the last three years, even though he's still a lot newer to it than me. I learned a lot from him and he showed me up many times.
"I managed to learn a lot from Oscar and I wouldn't be the driver I am today without that, also with Carlos [Sainz] and Daniel [Ricciardo], but Oscar has made me dig even deeper than I ever have before because by the mid-point of the season, he was performing better than I was and doing a better job consistently."
Talking specifically about how he mentally turned his season around, the new drivers' champion added: "After Zandvoort, it was tough. But I had a good break and did everything I needed to. That's not just driving better on track, there's a lot of other things that go on in the background that I had to do personally to make myself better and more resilient, to get more out of myself - whether that's the delta lap time, little things that no one will know for years. That's all part of the two points [I won by].
"Easily one thing I didn't do well enough could have changed the whole of today and I wouldn't be smiling. More than anything, I want to enjoy the moment but to congratulate Oscar and Max, of course, for making us stress like hell the last few months."
Photos from Abu Dhabi GP - Race
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Abu Dhabi GP - Sunday, in photos
Abu Dhabi GP - Sunday, in photos
Abu Dhabi GP - Sunday, in photos
Abu Dhabi GP - Sunday, in photos
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