'F1 triple header is Norris's perfect chance to turn season around'

A narrowing gap, a crunch of carbon fibre, and then an anguished radio message. In a split second, Lando Norris‘s hopes of a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix evaporated in a cloud of dust that trailed his slowing McLaren.

Having won, for the first time in over two months, in Monaco, the former championship leader came second to Oscar Piastri in Spain before his “stupid” error in Montreal. He’s once again on the back foot, 22 points behind Piastri in the title race.

But there are still 14 races to go this season and with a triple header of three races in successive weekends upon us, this looks to be a critical moment fgooor his title chances. By beating Piastri in each of them (including the Belgian sprint race), Norris can retake the lead of the championship — and he has good reason to believe he can do it.

McLaren suggests its reaction to the Canadian GP clash will help make the team and the driver stronger. “This may have an impact in terms of his confidence, but it’s up to us as a team to show our full support to Lando,” said team boss Andrea Stella after Canada.

“Lando himself will have to show his character to overcome this kind of episode, make sure that he only takes the learnings, he only takes what will make him a stronger driver.”

The run of three races may be coming at just the right time, with the Austrian, British and Belgian Grands Prix giving Norris a real opportunity to rebuild his momentum and mental edge over Piastri: statistically, he has been strong at the Red Bull Ring, and then moves to Silverstone, where he doesn’t just have home support, but an entire stand for his fans. Could this be the spur to reinvigorate Norris’s championship charge?

Austria: A proven turning point

Norris will be wanting to capitalise on his historical strength at the Red Bull Ring, where McLaren should be returning to its frontrunning form after the Canadian GP hiccup.

The McLaren driver scored his first Formula 1 podium in Austria in 2020.

His 2023 race also proved to be an inflexion point, as a McLaren upgrade introduced in Austria elevated the team and allowed Norris to fight much closer to the front of the field for the remainder of the year.

In 2024, Norris was fighting Verstappen for the lead, in second place with a faster McLaren, when he tried to pass the Red Bull on the outside and was squeezed. The resulting collision left both cars with punctures, and proved to be the end of Norris’s race. Verstappen continued after a tyre change but received a 10sec penalty for the incident.

Despite that disappointment, Norris will return to the circuit with the knowledge that, in his two outings so far at the Red Bull Ring, he has been faster than Piastri: Austria should offer a golden chance to start his fightback.

Britain: Home advantage

Whether Norris manages to overshadow Piastri or not in Austria, he should be favourite to take the trophy home at Silverstone.

Norris has been consistently strong in front of his home crowd, and he will have no trouble finding his fans thanks to the dedicated “Landostand” at Stowe, that will full to its 10,000 capacity with supporters cheering him on.

With a McLaren underneath him that should once more be the car to beat, Norris looks to be the early favourite.

Having said that, both driver and team will need to avoid the mistakes made last year that cost Norris a shot at a home victory. In 2024 he had to settle for third place after McLaren failed to make the right calls with tyres when the rain started to get heavier.

Belgium: A question mark

If Norris can arrive in Belgium on the back of two victories, then he will have every hope of finally succeeding at Spa.

Of the three venues, the circuit remains Norris’s biggest challenge, having not finished higher than sixth on the road (he was promoted to fifth last year after George Russell was penalised).

A mistake at Turn 1 in 2024 vanished all hopes of a good result, and bad luck or less competitive cars have not helped his cause at Spa in previous years either.

The McLaren package is well-suited to the circuit’s demands, although Spa is often Verstappen’s turf regardless of how competitive his car has been in other races.

All in all, Belgium remains the biggest question mark of the triple-header for Norris, but his ultimate performance may well depend on how much confidence and momentum he carries from the first two races.

If Norris can deliver a composed and competitive performance in Austria, and convert home advantage into a statement result at Silverstone, then by the time he arrives in Belgium, the psychological landscape of the McLaren intra-team battle may have shifted decisively, one way or the other.