Lando Norris reveals how winning F1 championship changed him

Lando Norris believes winning his maiden Formula 1 title has made him more relaxed and given him a stronger foundation of confidence to rely on

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris believes securing his maiden title has made him a more relaxed and confident driver.

Speaking on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, the McLaren driver detailed the mental shift that followed his championship victory. After dedicating his whole career to reaching the milestone, Norris said achieving the goal gave him a new level of confidence.

Asked if he is now a better, more confident driver with the championship secured, the McLaren driver explained: "Yeah. Both of those, really. When people say, 'What's changed since you've won the championship?' Simply, it's just those two things. I feel more relaxed because I spent 20 years trying to achieve one thing, and I've achieved it.

"So, I can die happy now. My life led to that one moment, and I'm just very, very happy that I managed to do it. I'm proud of myself that I managed to achieve it with all those people around me.

"When I'm relaxed, I generally can feel more confident. Winning the championship last year has allowed me to have more confidence in an underlying way because I feel like I can lean on that.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I have something to go, 'You came from a lot worse last year,' or, 'You went through a lot worse last year at times and came out of it in the best way possible'. So I've kind of given myself a block to lean on, and that's exactly what I need at times.

"Last year, I never had that, and I had to work with specialists and people to give me support from people around me. And give myself my own support at times because at the beginning of the year, I certainly didn't have any of that and never had much of that as a driver.

"But now I have my own block built by this. I've got my own trophy to lean on, and that's a very good thing to have from a confidence point of view."