James Hinchcliffe has spotted a Lando Norris trend that suggests he’s struggling with ‘internal pressure’

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Lando Norris has been on a roll since suffering a gut-wrenching mechanical retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Fast-forward a few months, and the Briton is in pole position to secure a maiden drivers’ championship title by the start of December.

McLaren knew coming into the year that they had a great chance of crowning a new champion, but they just weren’t quite sure who it would be.

After starting strong, Oscar Piastri has faded, and now Norris has taken charge of the situation. But things are far from over just yet.

McLaren have been warned about ‘terrible teamwork’ and the effect that it can have on the team, if not everyone is bought into the same cause.

Norris’ 2024 title bid has made 2025 ‘easier’ on him, since he already knows what it takes to come out on top, and beat the likes of Max Verstappen.

READ MORE: Oscar Piastri admits McLaren are facing one ‘impossible’ issue amid title fight with Lando Norris

James Hinchcliffe thinks Lando Norris made ‘mistakes’ when battling ‘internal pressure’

Piastri knows McLaren can’t keep both drivers happy and that one of them is going to be leaving 2025 very disappointed.

Norris thinks Las Vegas could be a disaster for Piastri, all but ending his hopes if he has a bad race. It’s a low-grip track, which is the sort he has struggled at recently.

But James Hinchcliffe has spotted a pattern in Norris’ driving this season that suggests he may be fragile in one area.

“I think it’s a very, very good way to put it,” he told the F1 Nation Podcast. “The little mistakes that we would see from him in the first half of the year, I always saw them as, when the internal pressure was high.

“He has always been very good with the external pressure. You put him on track in a wheel-to-wheel battle. He’s very rarely making mistakes. He’s very rarely putting a wheel wrong that opens a wheel up for a driver to get around him.

“He has been very, very strong in that sense. His mistakes were leads Q1, leads Q2, messes something up in Q3. That was kind of a more common thing.”

READ MORE: Lando Norris is now privately starting to get ‘fed up’ with what he’s noticed after recent wins

Why McLaren have a problem on their hands regardless of 2025 F1 title battle

Whoever leaves 2025 disappointed will probably make it their main aim to get revenge on their rivals heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.

That could be a problem for McLaren, who have to manage relations between their drivers, and don’t want to see things get any more complicated.

Piastri has a new ‘weakness’ to fix, but it won’t just be Norris that he has to worry about in a few months’ time.

Max Verstappen will be on level footing with him, as will the likes of Charles Leclerc and George Russell. It’s going to be one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent history.