Lando Norris is not yet a crowd favorite everywhere. The Briton is also fighting for recognition as the leader in the championship standings.
10.11.2025, 13:49
10.11.2025, 13:55
SDA
Even his commanding performances over the entire weekend at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace, with his superb drive to victory in the São Paulo Grand Prix as the crowning glory, were not enough to win the public over to his side. Norris once again felt the displeasure from the grandstands. "There are always people who try to pull you down a bit," said the Englishman after his work was done. "It's not the nicest thing."
The boos that could not be ignored were in extreme contrast to the reactions triggered by Max Verstappen. After his brilliant drive, starting in the pit lane and finishing in third place, the Dutchman was the emotional winner who had hearts racing.
"Verstappen drove like a god," even the Daily Mail from Norris' home country attested. "It was an extraordinary drive, even if Lando Norris pulled off a perfect weekend with his victory at Interlagos, staking his claim to the title," wrote the Guardian. The hymns of praise from Spain were no different. "Norris triumphs in Brazil and extends his lead, but Verstappen remains king. Max delivers a brilliant performance from last place," read Mundo Deportivo.
Piastri in a downward spiral
But the king will have to vacate his throne unless another miracle happens. Verstappen travels to Las Vegas in just under a week and a half with a 49-point deficit. Between them is a 24-point gap to Norris, the leading team-mate, Oscar Piastri, who retired in the sprint after an accident and failed to finish higher than fifth in the main race.
Piastri, who had looked like the number one title contender for so long in the season, has not even made it onto the podium in the last five Grands Prix. "Low form, no momentum: Piastri's poor run continues, and the timing couldn't be worse," stated the newspaper "The Age" in Piastri's home country of Australia. The 24-year-old is "in a downward spiral".
Steep learning curve for Norris
Norris in particular is showing consistency at the highest level towards the end of his seventh F1 season. At the beginning of the year, he was probably thinking too much about how people would perceive him and how he would be portrayed, said Norris in São Paulo after his seventh win of the season. "I've learned to deal with these things better."
Not that he doesn't care now. "I still want to leave a good impression." It's more about focusing on himself. "At Team McLaren, they do an excellent job. They provide me with a great car. We give our best every weekend, and I also give my all off the track. That is very rewarding."
Hamilton's nightmare
Lewis Hamilton is currently experiencing the opposite in the service of Scuderia Ferrari. "It's a nightmare that I've been living through for some time now," said the seven-time world champion, commenting on the Reds' third double retirement this season. "Switching between the dream of driving for this great team and the nightmare of the results - these highs and lows are a challenge." Nevertheless, Hamilton is not thinking of giving up. "I'll get back up, keep training and keep working with the team to come back as strong as possible for the next race."
