How Hamilton boosted Norris’ F1 confidence: on and off the track

Despite what he has achieved in his motorsport career and especially in an outstanding 2021 season, he does not get carried away and believes that he is infallible.

What this season has brought, however, are opportunities and experiences that will help Norris remove much of the personal negativity he sometimes (mistakenly) has about himself.

And there is no better example of how he held up so brilliantly before Lewis Hamilton in the battle for what was then second place at the Austrian Grand Prix.

While Hamilton clearly had the faster car, Norris was an excellent defender: he didn’t make any mistakes with his inch-perfect driving in order to last as long as possible before he knew that discretion was the best part of bravery.

He quickly realized that Hamilton’s holding back would only serve to ruin his own race and made it duly easy for the Mercedes to find a way out.

It was a 15-lap experience that not only earned Norris praise from Hamilton – who, as we know, raised his hat to his British compatriot on team radio – but also served as a moment that proved to the youngster that he can cut it from bike to bike . Bike battles with the best.

“I think it was valuable and I think it will definitely help me in the future when I’m in situations like this again,” explains Norris.

“And it’s just comforting to know that when I get there in the future, when I’m back in that position, I can compete there and beat him in different scenarios.

“Suddenly it doesn’t make me believe that I can win races and achieve great things. You know it doesn’t change that way. But only when I’m back in this position will I know what to do against someone like Lewis. “

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Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

What made the battle for Austria so important was that it wasn’t just a battle for an insignificant position, but the second on the road. So there was an added element of not giving it up.

“The fight is with Mercedes and it’s Lewis who may put a little more pressure on you,” added Norris.

“I’ve been racing with people since day one and whenever you have someone behind you, no matter who it is and who are faster than you, you always feel pressure, you always have the feeling that you are not making any mistakes and so on.

“But of course I was fighting for third or second place in Austria at the time, that is also an additional pressure.

“I don’t think the fact that it was Lewis changes everything, and it’s like, ‘Oh my god, what do I have to do now?’ But it makes a very small difference because you know he’s one the best is a driver in the world and ever in Formula 1.

“So you know he’s going to think about every opportunity to maximize and get past me. Every slip I have makes me more vulnerable than if I were likely to face anyone else in this situation.

“So it just forces you to be even more perfect, to concentrate even more and things like that. Which I did for 20 laps until I thought I was just ruining my own race and have to let it go.

“So yeah, it’s more reassuring and gives me good faith in the future when I’m back in this position, whether I’m driving Lewis or Max or whoever, that I feel safe that I can perform well.

“I’m not going to say I don’t make mistakes under pressure because I’m sure I will. But I can perform very well and I can’t make this mistake so easily or give up that easily. “

Lando Norris, McLaren, 3rd place, and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2nd place, congratulate each other after the race

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

The confidence he now has of being able to fight with the top F1 drivers isn’t the only thing Norris has taken away so far in 2021, however.

Because it is a season in which he moved into a virtuoso circle of increasingly self-confident achievements that help to gain even more self-confidence.

There was the podium at Imola one weekend when a track limit penalty cost him a front row start, plus a brilliant unexpected third place in Monaco before that attempt earned him another top three finish in Austria.

He feels that this growing self-confidence was a factor in this remarkable series of 15 consecutive points in Formula 1, which only came to an end when Valtteri Bottas put him on the side of Max Verstappen on the first corner of the Hungarian Grand Prix .

“My confidence has definitely increased from a lot of different scenarios this season and it was very good for me, I think,” he explains.

“Especially after the first couple of races I took a good step because I was good in qualifying, good in the races, we had the pace in Imola and so on, which gave me a big boost in confidence.

“Then there are these little things along the way that somehow add to it. And Austria was just one more thing that only added to that confidence and allowed me to think, ‘Okay, you know, I can do this and I can do that’.

“And I can have this belief in myself and this confidence in myself. Because I’m always worried, I’m scared of having it in a situation I’ve never been in before.

“So when you experience these different things and confirm to yourself that you are able to do something, I can add it to my bank and that adds to that confidence.

“And of course you learn more and more through experience, but you come to a point where all that confidence builds up in the position you are in. And there is no giant ladder that you still have to climb. ”To get into Formula 1 or whatever, you’re there.

“So yeah, that kind of thing comes together this season. And there are still some things that I’m not so sure about. But compared to last season, compared to my first race in Formula 1, it’s a completely different level and I feel a lot better. “

Podium: Third place Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alessio Morgese

But the self-confidence that he not only gains on the track has also grown Norris.

With his arrival as a Formula 1 podium finisher at the same time as the coronavirus pandemic, it means that Norris’ reputation as a fan favorite never really became apparent.

All of that changed at the British Grand Prix when a full audience was let in. Because Silverstone was no longer just about Hamilton, as the orange army of Norris was very strong.

Norris merchandise was sold out and there was even a grandstand full of members of his personal Quadrant esports / streaming club.

And just as Hamilton was a reference on the track, Norris also hopes that he can use his fans for a greater good, as the seven-time world champion did.

When asked how he was going to face the reality of the huge support he had at the British GP, Norris said, “This is something I am still grappling with.

“In a way, it’s still surprising and unbelievable to imagine five years, six years ago that I wanted to be in this position and see the stands with my hats and t-shirts on the stages, quadrant flags and the like.

“You never think it will be you. And I know it is so, in a way, it’s a little bit incredible, and I’m still getting on with it.

“It’s still something Lewis does very well because he’s been around for so long and so on. He’s been using his fans, not in a bad way, he’s using them to make change and make an impact and things like that.

“It’s something I was able to do with Quadrant, in terms of mental health, with some of the things I’ve done as well as charities I’ve done on my streams. So I was able to use my fans and help them guide them and use them to influence things, and hopefully for better reasons than not.

“I need to know how to maximize that and how to get the most out of my position. So not just as a driver and how I can get the best out of myself, but how I do the best outside of the formula. ”F1 even, and use my following and my fan base in these areas too.

“So yeah, it’s just such a cool feeling. It is an unbelievable feeling until you come and see and experience it. So it’s pretty incredible.

“Hopefully it will keep growing and getting bigger and I’ll see what I can learn from it and try to make an even bigger impact like Lewis is doing.”

On and off the track, Hamilton shows Norris that he is right to believe in himself as he tries to end the second half of the 2021 season the way he started it.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images