Damon Hill says Lando Norris cockpit change explains his new qualifying edge over Oscar Piastri

Follow us on Google Discover

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been closely matched all season, but the more experienced McLaren driver has taken a step ahead of his teammate at a crucial point in the campaign.

With three races in the 2025 Formula 1 season to go, Lando Norris has a 24-point lead in the drivers’ championship over Oscar Piastri.

It means that a retirement at the next race in Las Vegas could allow Piastri to re-take the lead, but it’s hard to look past another victory for Norris, given the current form he’s in.

When Piastri won at Zandvoort, he was 34 ahead of his McLaren teammate, but Norris has turned a corner and is the man to beat after back-to-back victories in Mexico City and Sao Paulo.

In the last six races, Norris has outqualified Piastri five out of six times and at the biggest pressure moment of each weekend, he’s found an extra level.

Jenson Button has admitted he overestimated Piastri’s ability to deal with the pressure, and Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert have discussed a positive change in Norris that might explain why he’s suddenly so much faster in qualifying.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Damon Hill says Lando Norris removing his delta from his dashboard has improved his qualifying

Hill was speaking about the McLaren drivers on the Stay on Track Podcast and examining Norris’ recent upturn.

He said: “I always used to think that Lando [and Piastri], were always very, very close in qualifying, typically, although of course the first season Lando had the edge and he was sort of teaching Oscar the ropes a little bit at McLaren.

“And then there was a very narrow gap in qualifying. There was nothing more than a thousandth or something between them.

“But in races, I always thought Lando was quicker. And so I think what we’ve seen now is his race pace into his qualifying pace.

“And there’s the gap between them in qualifying. He’s definitely improved his performance in qualifying.

“One of the things he’s done is he stopped doing the update on the dashboard. So he’s taken away the delta to his best lap.

“So, he’s not getting information as he goes through the sections and whether he’s up or down, because that changes your state of mind.”

Johnny Herbert has seen Lando Norris’ mentality change during 2025 title challenge

Herbert added: “One thing with Lando as well, I would say, I think he’s matured a lot this season.

“And I think that’s something that has made a big, big difference as well. You remember he was laughy, jokey, squeaky over the radio, and it was all sort of energy that was being external to the cockpit.

“I think he’s harnessed all that, and he’s using all that energy in the cockpit mentally at the same time.

“And I think that’s just a maturity coming into play. And I think it’s coming at a very, very good time.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Zak Brown offers Lando Norris advice on how to deal with Max Verstappen

From McLaren’s point of view, as long as Norris or Piastri win the drivers’ championship, then they’ll be happy.

Fans will always question whether Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have taken the right approach on how to keep things fair between the two drivers.

Piastri, on the face of it, has been penalised more than Norris this season, having to give up second place to his teammate at Monza after a slow pit stop, and then being driven into at Singapore.

However, the only man who can still stop McLaren from completing their first double since 1998 is Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman is 49 points behind Norris, and Brown has now told McLaren’s drivers how to deal with Verstappen not only until the end of 2025, but from next season and beyond.

Norris has found ways to continue to improve his performance throughout 2025, while Piastri has been recently struggling with his car setup.

Ultimately, that could be the difference between becoming a world champion and narrowly missing out.