‘Ignore everyone and keep pushing’ – Norris outlines title fight mindset after ‘perfect weekend’ in Sao Paulo

Lando Norris has admitted that he must “keep pushing” despite increasing his points lead in the title fight, especially after fellow contender Max Verstappen stormed from the pit lane to the podium in Sao Paulo.

The McLaren driver beat Kimi Antonelli and the Red Bull racer to secure a confident victory in Brazil, with Oscar Piastri settling for fifth place and dropping 24 points behind Norris in the standings.

The result rounds off a magnificent weekend for Norris in which he topped every session and claimed the maximum number of points on offer, giving him momentum for the final three rounds of the season in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

He dedicated the win to former McLaren Sporting Director Gil de Ferran, who passed away in 2023, and said: “It was an amazing race and it’s nice to win here in Brazil. It’s an amazing track, amazing fans.

“This one was for Gil, one of my mentors growing up a couple of years ago. This one was for him – I’m sure he’d be very proud of it all. I was thinking of that while driving. A perfect weekend.”

Although Norris controlled the race to a high level, much of the attention was on Verstappen, who went from a pit lane start to challenging Antonelli for second place on the final lap and demonstrated that he can never be discounted in any battle.

Norris admitted that the Red Bull driver’s incredible performance has encouraged him to not rest on his laurels, hinting that it may be a greater sign of McLaren’s consistent advantage over their rivals fading away.

“It’s a great win, but to be honest, seeing how quick Max was today I’m pretty disappointed that we weren’t quicker,” he explained. “That’s where my mind’s at at the minute. I’m probably going to see the team, congratulate them and see where we weren’t quick enough.

“That’s me, we’ll see what we can do. It’s not a long way to go but I’m just focused on myself – keep my head down, ignore everyone and keep pushing.

“The team are doing an amazing job giving me a great car. We’re pushing hard every single weekend and I’m pushing hard away from the track. It’s rewarding. It doesn’t come easy, that’s for sure. To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest out there on track today but I’m glad to take home the win.”