Stefano Domenicali says Lando Norris has the energy to lead Formula 1
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes new world champion Lando Norris has the personality to carry the championship's crown, but adds that to do this, he needs to "keep smiling".
Speaking to Sky Sports after the driver confirmed his place in the history books following a successful Abu Dhabi campaign, the F1 chief outlined what he expects from the new champion as he detailed the personality traits he feels benefit the Briton.
“Very positive, young, energetic, with this personality that is different from the others,” Domenicali said. “So, I think that if you’re going to do that, you need to keep one thing that I always said to [him], keep smiling. Keep smiling. You need to have positive energy.
“Sometimes they are young, so they are doing an incredible job. They are a role model for a lot of people. So, they need to remember that they are a unique talent. But I always tell [him], no, no secret.”
Norris's 2025 season was a challenging one, with the driver making mistakes at the beginning of the season, something that would eventually let his team-mate Oscar Piastri take the lead in the drivers' standings.
Add to that a late surge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, and Norris was safely feeling the pressure from both sides. Fortunately, he was able to withstand such mental torture, finishing third in Abu Dhabi two points ahead of the Dutchman.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Norris discussed his mental change in a conversation with Sky Sports F1.
"The first season was very tough, and I'm sure even tougher for others," he said. "The team have given me an incredible car this year that has made my life very easy at times.
"At times I struggled against Oscar, who has done an incredible job," he continued. "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."
The summer break allowed him to arm himself with the tools he needed to mentally withstand the onslaught of a championship bid.
"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]."
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Category: General Sports
