Lando Norris is entering the second half of the Formula One season with a relaxed mindset, free from the pressure of immediate title expectations, yet he remains confident that he can still mount a defence of his championship.
The 26-year-old secured his maiden world title at last season’s finale in Abu Dhabi. However, under the new regulations for 2026, McLaren has struggled to match the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari.
Norris had not won a race until his recent victory in Budapest, the last Grand Prix before the sport’s summer break. Reflecting on his approach during the shutdown, Norris revealed he spent more time preparing for the upcoming races this year compared to last, despite being a considerable 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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“It’s just a choice. I don’t have to be focused at all,” Norris explained ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“I just decided to spend less time living like a normal 26-year-old and more time thinking about my job.
“Last year was a lot more stressful. I wanted to disconnect more, to take my mind away from things.
“This year, I feel very relaxed for two reasons: what I achieved last year and the fact that I am not currently in the fight.”
In 2025, Norris was engaged in a fierce battle for the championship with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, a contest later intensified by Max Verstappen.
Following the Dutch Grand Prix last season, Verstappen was 104 points behind the leader-more than Norris is now-but he was still able to challenge until the final race.
Norris acknowledged that his win in Budapest has reignited his belief that he can remain competitive, though with a different perspective than last year.
“Of course I’m in the fight,” he said. “I just mean that I’m not first or second in the championship standings.
“I still believe it’s possible to defend my title, which is probably why I started training earlier this year.
“When you’re nearly 100 points behind, it doesn’t feel like you’re in it, compared to last year when I was 20 to 30 points behind.
“There haven’t been many reasons to believe it was possible until Budapest. Now, it’s a more genuine question.”
Meanwhile, George Russell secured pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix, marking his first sprint pole of the season and aiming to close the championship gap to his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli, who turns 20 next week, has a 50-point lead at the top of the standings following the summer break, with Lewis Hamilton nine points behind Russell in third place.
The dominant Mercedes driver has won six races so far, but Hamilton and Russell are keen to narrow the gap starting in Zandvoort. Russell edged out Norris by just 0.041 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri fourth. The top four were separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Max Verstappen, recently signing a new contract with Red Bull, and Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, trailing more than half a second behind the leaders.