George Russell might have just told Lando Norris what he needs to do to win the 2025 F1 title

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Lando Norris is firmly back in the race for the 2025 Formula 1 championship heading into the second half of the season. It has been a year full of ups and downs for the Brit.

The McLaren driver’s campaign got off to the perfect start with pole position and the win in Australia. However, he would not qualify at the front of the grid or win another race until the Monaco GP.

During that time, his teammate Oscar Piastri had established a clear advantage, claiming four wins and three pole positions/ The Aussie dramatically improved his qualifying performance, having been outclassed by Norris since joining McLaren in 2023.

Norris has admitted he is not as ‘precise’ in qualifying in 2025, evidenced by countless mistakes in Q3, notably his crash in Jeddah. His Monaco victory looked like he had turned a corner, until Norris collided with Piastri in Canada after an ill-timed attempted overtake in the closing stages.

Had the crash not happened, the Brit would have been leading the championship heading into the summer break. Mistakes have cost him dearly, similarly to last season against Max Verstappen, which has led to Norris attacking himself during media debriefs.

George Russell says ‘saying nothing’ stops negativity around you – Lando Norris must listen

Norris admits he puts too much pressure on himself in his bid to become a world champion. It explains why he has been quick to be self-critical when he makes an error in the past, which in turn brings criticism from fans and pundits.

Alan Jones slammed Norris for his ‘nonsense’ earlier in the season about being self-critical. In comparison, teammate Piastri’s steely demeanour and unwillingness to give anything away have given him an advantage.

However, in recent races, Norris has turned a corner, with three wins in the last four events. He has put his past troubles behind him to close the gap to Piastri to nine points, and Mercedes driver George Russell has just explained what he needs to do to get the edge over him.

Speaking with Autosport, the 27-year-old talked about how ‘saying nothing’ stops any negativity coming towards you: “Yeah, for sure. The only way you could keep everybody happy or by having no negativity towards you, is by saying nothing, because everybody will forever have a view. Everybody will share it.

“You get to a point where you don’t even look at it or read it, because everyone’s got a different opinion. Everyone’s open to their view. But it’s not something that really concerns me at all, to be honest. I don’t look, so it doesn’t bother me.”

Norris has become less critical in recent Grand Prix, which has helped swing the momentum in his favour with a string of strong performances. But Piastri still presents a tough challenge, and keeping a clear and level head will be key in his quest to become champion.

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

Lando Norris is silencing his critics with recent form

With just nine points separating the McLaren duo with 10 races to go, the title fight is wide open, and Norris is giving himself a strong chance to come out on top with his recent performances.

Norris may have overcome his ‘very weak’ traits with the MCL39 that he struggled with earlier in the year. The 2025 McLaren has not been a comfortable car to drive for the Brit, especially in braking, but his win in Budapest suggests he may have got over his issues.

Zak Brown loves that Norris has silenced his critics about his displays from pole positions. He has converted three of his four poles to victory in 2025 as he keeps his title hopes alive.

McLaren will continue to let Norris and Piastri race and are fully aware that one must come out on top. The former will be desperate to ensure he delivers the team’s first title since 2008, having missed out last year.