“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 looks to have the upper hand this weekend too. Racing then moves to Silverstone a week later, where Norris 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 looks to have returned to its front-running form after the Canadian GP hiccup.
Norris was in a battle for the lead before his 2024 Austrian GP ended in contact with Verstappen
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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 has returned to the circuit in storming form, setting a stunning pole position lap. Austria should offer a golden chance to start his fightback.
Britain: Home advantage
Whether Norris manages to convert pole position to victory or not in Austria, he should be favourite to take the trophy home at Silverstone.
Norris has to be favourite for Silverstone
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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 at the end of July 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).
Success has been hard to come by for Norris at Spa
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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 trio of races 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.