Who slept worst last night: Lando Norris

Lando Norris has something in common with Nigel Mansell, but it’s not too late to turn his championship campaign around

What on earth was Lando Norris thinking? The way he collided with Oscar Piastri on lap 67 of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix looked, frankly, amateurish.

The McLaren driver saw a gap nobody else did – because it wasn’t there – and drove straight into the back of his own team-mate.

My suspicion: after his overtaking attempt in the final corner narrowly failed, he was desperate to capitalise on the speed advantage down the start-finish straight to launch a decisive move into Turn 1. Piastri had braked too late into the chicane and lost momentum trying to avoid going too far over the kerb, so Norris had an opportunity that might not come again.

With DRS open, he tucked into Piastri’s slipstream and would likely have drawn level on the inside – if there had been a way past. But that path didn’t exist because Piastri had positioned himself cleverly.

Norris had already committed, so a collision was inevitable.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

He already had a rough night after Miami, and after the race in Montreal there’s no doubt who should headline this column. Norris messed it up – and he knew it.

His very first radio message said: "My mistake," followed immediately by, "that was stupid of me."

There was nothing to debate. The fact that he only received a five-second time penalty, which didn’t even impact the race result, could almost be seen as lucky. The online community is abuzz with speculation over whether the stewards would have been as lenient had Piastri suffered a puncture.

Mistakes happen – granted. Sillier ones have happened in Formula 1 at this venue. Take Nigel Mansell, for example, who in 1991 looked set to win in Canada before missing a downshift while waving to the crowd, prompting his engine to stall.

But Norris’s problem is this: his list of errors in crucial situations keeps growing. While Piastri seems to become more composed the closer he gets to achieving his dream of a world title, Norris appears to be heading in the opposite direction.

Lando Norris, McLaren, commiserates with himself after the race

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

If there’s such a thing as a “champion gene” in Formula 1 drivers, Norris doesn’t seem to have it – or it at least hasn't expressed just yet.

The story of his most bitter defeats begins on 26 September 2021 – the Russian Grand Prix, which Norris nearly won, if not for the weather and his own nerves.

To recap: at the time just 21 years old, he was driving a flawless race and had one hand on the trophy when rain began to fall in Sochi. In a radio exchange that was chaotic at best, the team left it up to him whether to stay out on slicks.

Norris chose to brave it out, skidded off-track, had to pit after all, and eventually crossed the line in seventh.

Some drivers have the ability not just to identify an opportunity but also to sense the best means of exploiting it ‘in the moment’ and execute perfectly. Max Verstappen is one of those: if there is half a chance, more often than not he will make it a complete one.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

And then there are those with the talent and speed, but without the composure to consistently seal the deal.

It’s a bit like soccer: some strikers are lightning fast, able to dart through any defensive gap – but keep missing the goal. And then there are the classic ‘poachers’ who may lack flair and pace but finish clinically every time a chance falls to them. Ulf Kirsten, for example, was that type.

Lando Norris isn’t a poacher – at least not yet. In moments like Sunday in Montreal, he lacks the inner calm to instinctively make the right decision. And the switch he needs to flip is not in his right foot, but in his head.

Because he was fast in the Canadian Grand Prix. From laps 51 to 58, he closed a 4.5-second gap. Yes, his tyres were two laps fresher. But Norris had also started from P7, with seemingly worse prospects than Piastri.

"For me, Oscar Piastri is now the clear favourite for the world championship," Nico Rosberg said in his analysis for Sky Sports F1. The Australian, he said, was "incredibly solid" and able to maintain his high level "all the time". Meanwhile, "Norris keeps making mistakes."