Hunter becomes hunted: Norris keeps cool with one-point lead

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

Lando Norris arrives in Brazil for the São Paulo Grand Prix as the new Formula One world championship leader, but the McLaren driver is adamant that his newfound status will not change his approach.

Credit: Formula One

After taking a dominant victory in Mexico City two weeks ago, Norris now leads the standings by just one point over his teammate, Oscar Piastri. Red Bull's Max Verstappen sits 36 points adrift in third place, firmly in the title fight with four races remaining.

Despite heading the championship for the first time since April, Norris insisted during Thursday's media day at Interlagos that the weekend ahead feels "exactly the same" as any other.

When asked about his mindset entering these decisive final rounds, Norris said: "We'll see at the end of the year. At the minute, nothing changes. I feel the same."

His focus remains on the ultimate goal that has driven him his entire career. "My dream is to try and win, that's been my dream since I was a kid," Norris said.

He also stated that having Verstappen in close pursuit "doesn't change anything". While the 25-year-old acknowledged that winning in Mexico with such a margin was a positive factor, he downplayed it as a major psychological shift.

Norris explained: "It helps. It's always nice to win.

"It's always a good thing. I wouldn't say I was lacking confidence before – I felt good in Austin and Singapore. I would definitely say things got a little bit better in the final two races. It boosts you a little bit, but I wouldn't say it changes that much."

The tense intra-team battle at McLaren has become the focal point of the season, raising questions about team orders. However, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown made his position clear, stating he would not favor one driver over the other.

In a startling admission, Brown recently claimed he would rather see Max Verstappen win the world championship than be forced to choose between Norris and Piastri, underlining the team's commitment to letting them race fair and square to the finish.

Norris' ascent to the top of the standings marks a significant turnaround in form since the 2025 summer break. He entered the first race back at Zandvoort trailing Piastri and suffered a disastrous mechanical Did Not Finish (DNF), dropping him 34 points behind his teammate.

Credit: Formula One

Since that low point, however, Norris has been relentless. In the five races following the Dutch Grand Prix, he has secured four podiums, culminating in his commanding win in Mexico—his first victory since the Hungarian Grand Prix—to snatch the championship lead.

Looking ahead to the weekend in São Paulo, which features the penultimate Sprint of the season, Norris is hopeful but pragmatic.

"Of course I hope to have another weekend like Mexico, which will be tricky just because it's good competition," the McLaren driver said. "I would say I expect also to be strong, to have another good weekend, but you never know with the weather and conditions here. It's easy for it to go anyone's way."

When quizzed on whether he would prefer a straightforward weekend or an eventful one, Norris was clear: "Just normal. Every time in Brazil it's always the same, so I think the expectation is be ready for anything, whether it's raining, dry, sunny, cold.

"I don't mind what it is, I'm happy with everything but of course it's just more simple for everyone when it's dry, and I can try and repeat a weekend like I had in Mexico. When it's raining, it's a little bit more luck involved."