Lando Norris pinpoints what he changed behind the scenes to overcome Oscar Piastri in F1 title battle

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Lando Norris can now relax, safe in the knowledge that he is a Formula 1 champion, and nobody can take that from him.

The Briton staged a defiant comeback after the summer break, recovering from a 34-point deficit in the drivers’ championship.

While Norris was on the podium at most races, teammate Oscar Piastri was falling apart and struggling to make the top five at times.

Now, McLaren’s attention can turn to the 2026 F1 regulations and preparing a new beast for the years ahead.

Norris says it’s ‘difficult’ to celebrate with Piastri because of the nature of the fight between the two of them over the last 12 months.

Immediately after claiming the title, Damon Hill loved what Norris said about potentially never getting close to the level of Michael Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton. He knows what dedication it takes.

READ MORE: Oscar Piastri reacts as Lando Norris celebrates winning the 2025 F1 title on social media

Lando Norris worked harder in every area to overcome Oscar Piastri in the F1 title battle

Norris faced ‘more problems’ than expected in Abu Dhabi, and struggled to keep his car in a straight line as he backed off towards the end of the race.

Ahead of the title decider, Lewis Hamilton told Norris not to ‘change anything’, and the approach seemed to work.

Speaking on the F1 YouTube channel after the race, he revealed how he managed to turn a big deficit around against his teammate.

Was this the best drive of Lando Norris’ career so far? 👏

Despite the immense pressure, Norris got the job down in Abu Dhabi to win his first ever Drivers' Championship

“Thank you guys, you made a kid’s dream come true, I love you guys. I love you mum, I love you dad.”

Lando Norris’ radio reaction

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“I certainly thought my life [after Zandvoort] was extremely difficult, and it was from that point onwards,” he said. “I had to do a better job than I have ever done before. I had to start winning a lot of races, I had to consistently beat my teammate, consistently beat everyone.

“At that point, no one was really gaining or losing a lot on anyone, between us both. 34 points at that point, it felt like a lot. At that point, I could barely beat him on one weekend. So, I was a bit like, ‘How am I going to beat him all the time now?’, which is what I had to do. That is what I managed to do.

“I managed to change a lot of things, I managed to work a lot more than I have ever done before,” Norris continued. “Not because I wasn’t working well before, just had to go above and beyond in every area I could.

“Whether that was on the simulator, at the track with my engineers, spending time with them, understanding the difficulties. Just going into more depth than ever before, trying to be more efficient.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen sends message to Lando Norris as McLaren driver clinches the 2025 F1 championship

Why Lando Norris was unfortunate not to win the 2025 F1 title sooner

Looking back on Norris’ 2025 season, it’s justified to say that he copped his fair share of bad luck across the 24 races.

Without an engine going in Zandvoort, and a disqualification in Las Vegas, he’d have had at least 36 more points on the board.

Norris wants to be ‘more like’ Piastri when the intensity ramps up, and remain a little calmer under pressure. It’s something he could learn from the Aussie.

But none of that will matter after he scraped across the line by two points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. It’s all done.