Lando Norris has revealed a number of text messages and private conversations with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and even MotoGP champion Casey Stoner helped him as he fought against Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen in the final races of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Speaking to F1.com after finally turning his nine years at McLaren into a championship win, Norris described the support he'd been given in the run-up to the final rounds of the season.
"I've had some great words and great text messages and conversations with some incredible people, people that have won world championships in different sports, Lewis and others like Seb.
"A lot of people don't know I speak to Seb about things. A lot of these people, [former MotoGP champion Casey] Stoner, who, when I needed it most, sent me that little text message and said 'think of this, believe in yourself, do this, do that', and just help me along."
After a late surge from Red Bull's Verstappen, Norris's championship hopes became more and more at risk. But after a successful strategy from McLaren at the Yas Marina Circuit, a third-place finish confirmed his place in the history books.
But maintaining his mental stamina became a point of contention for the driver who found himself making several mistakes in his 2025 campaign. But he managed to endure what potentially could have killed his title bid while his team-mate seemingly struggled.
"When you win the championship by two points, I would certainly say having these moments of faith from others around me got me those two points. And therefore, that's why I've got to thank everyone around me because two points is also what you need.”
Fortunately for Norris, an almost-perfect latter portion of the season was enough to beat the Dutchman to the top of the drivers' standings.
Read and post comments