Lando Norris reveals why winning his first F1 title at McLaren is ‘priority number two’ this year

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Lando Norris is currently in the midst of a title fight with Oscar Piastri for their maiden F1 championship, but has recently disclosed the surprising reason why it isn’t his top priority.

Norris trails his McLaren teammate by 31 points in the F1 standings and will be looking to eat into that deficit at the earliest possible opportunity.

The two drivers have traded blows throughout the current campaign, with Piastri tallying seven wins so far in 2025, and Norris taking five.

Even though Zak Brown doesn’t believe in McLaren’s dominance, the two drivers have become regulars at the front of the pack. They could secure a second consecutive constructors’ championship at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

McLaren have identified Max Verstappen as a threat to deciding the drivers’ championship between their two star drivers, but Norris has revealed that the title isn’t currently his top priority.

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Lando Norris’ identifies having fun as ‘the priority’ over winning an F1 championship

In a recent interview with fashion magazine Vogue, the 25-year-old shared a bit of ‘brutal honesty’ with his interviewer regarding his attitude to Formula 1.

Norris reportedly stopped the interview to disclose his priorities, saying, “I want to enjoy my life, have fun and share it with others.

“For me, that’s the priority. Priority number two is to try and win the championship.”

The statement is somewhat of a strange one when considering that an F1 title is the ultimate goal for anyone who finds themselves with a drive in the pinnacle of motorsports.

Norris’ insight into his current sentiments regarding the title fight could be seen as a boost for Piastri, who is enjoying a relatively comfortable one-race win lead in the standings.

The F1 paddock believes that McLaren are favouring Norris over Piastri in the championship battle, which could offer a reason as to why the 25-year-old has a laidback attitude to the title fight.

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McLaren have had to clarify things with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after their latest team orders debacle

Piastri was forced to give up his position to Norris at the most recent round of racing in Italy. The Australian gained second place after a slow pit stop saw his teammate fall behind him.

Despite objections from Piastri, he obeyed and let him through to make amends for Norris’ generosity in letting his teammate pit first.

McLaren have had to clarify things with Norris and Piastri regarding future team orders, highlighting that they are prepared for any situation where the team needs to get involved in the future.

Former F1 driver turned pundit David Coulthard believes a bust-up between the two drivers is ‘inevitable’ given the close margins that the two drivers are racing each other at.

Karun Chandhok believes Piastri will turn his radio off if McLaren tries to intervene in the order of the cars at the season closer in Abu Dhabi. Both drivers are chasing their maiden world championships, so it doesn’t make any sense to favour one driver over the other.