The Brit has admitted that he is still prone to errors but believes the balance between speed and caution has become more refined as the season has progressed. He trails team mate Oscar Piastri by 25 points.
In the first three races of the year, in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Norris made errors in qualifying which left him out of position. A heavy crash in Jeddah proved particularly costly as his team-mate Oscar Piastri went on to win all three races. Norris salvaged second, third and fourth places in those events, but he still lost 30 points to the Australian.
The gap between the two McLaren drivers now stands at 25 points with seven rounds remaining and 199 points still available.
The Briton has admitted he is still prone to errors but believes the balance between speed and caution has become more refined as the season has progressed.
“I still make these mistakes, it is not that I stopped, I still make mistakes,” Norris said. “Some of them are smaller now. In Saudi Arabia and China they cost a lot of points, but I have learned that sometimes losing half a tenth is better than trying to gain half a tenth and ending up three tenths down or worse.”
He added that improved car understanding and work with his team away from the track had been central to his progress. “It was a collection of different things, but all improved because of the work behind the scenes,” he said.
The championship battle resumes this weekend at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, a demanding 61-lap race around the 5.063-kilometre Marina Bay Street Circuit, scheduled for Sunday, 5 October.
