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Lando Norris has revealed the honest behind-the-scenes conversation he had with the McLaren team, which triggered his turnaround in form at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Briton apparently told his team that they would risk not winning races in the future if they continued with a car that didn't give him what he needed.
Norris was almost flawless in victory at the Mexican GP on Sunday, leading every lap and winning with a 30-second margin to Charles Leclerc in second. The weekend saw the 25-year-old also retake the lead of the drivers' championship from teammate Oscar Piastri for the first time since Round 5 of the season.
Speaking after the race, Norris explained that while he has struggled to get to grips with the MCL39 throughout the season, he felt at one with his McLaren around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
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Norris revealed that this was the result of a conversation he had behind the scenes with the Papaya team in the lead-up to the Mexican GP.
"We had our meeting and sat down for half an hour, and I said, 'Guys, this is exactly the car I don't want. This is why we can't win any more races, why we're not going to win in the future if we keep having a car that doesn't give me what I need'," said Norris, via Sky Sports.
"This weekend I had a little bit more than I need, and I was able to perform the way I did. It's that simple," he added.
With his sixth win of the 2025 season, Lando Norris now leads the drivers' world championship by one point from Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen is also only 36 points behind, with four races and two sprints still to come this year.
Lando Norris reflects on title rival Max Verstappen's late-season charge
Lando Norris has claimed that he needed to put a string of good performances to be able to hold off Max Verstappen for the 2025 drivers' title. The McLaren man claimed that one good race in Mexico was not enough to secure himself against the charging Red Bull driver.
Speaking to the aforementioned outlet after the Mexican GP, Norris reflected on what he needed to do going forward in the final four rounds of the season.
"One good race doesn't mean anything. Two, three, or four in a row, yes. I think the last few months have been good. Max has still closed the gap on me," said Norris.
"I had a good weekend now, but Max has kept getting closer in the last few months, so I have to keep my head down," he added.
While Norris has extended his advantage over Verstappen in the standings, the Dutchman has managed to reduce his deficit to the championship leader after Mexico. Before the race, Verstappen trailed Oscar Piastri by 40 points when the Aussie driver led the standings, but that gap has now come down to 36 points after Norris took over the top spot.
