In a shocking turn of events, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has raised the alarm about Lando Norris, stating that “something has changed” in the young driver this season as he chases his first title. Norris, who was initially the favorite for the championship after McLaren’s impressive performance in 2024, has seen his teammate Oscar Piastri take the lead by 22 points following a series of strong performances.
Palmer highlighted Norris’ uncharacteristic mistakes this season, expressing concern over the pressure getting to him. He pointed out that Norris, known for his exceptional speed and consistency, has been making errors that are out of character compared to his previous seasons in Formula 1. With the best car on the grid and the weight of expectations as the favorite, Norris seems to be faltering under the spotlight.
“The whole time, he has been, in my mind, an exceptionally quick driver,” Palmer stated on the F1 Nation podcast. “His qualifying pace, I put right up there with anyone and he actually hasn’t made many mistakes in his career. This year, it feels like something has changed… As the season is going on, I’m seeing a Lando that I’ve not seen before, which is someone that’s just making a lot of mistakes under pressure.”
With the title race heating up and Norris facing mounting pressure, all eyes will be on the young driver to see if he can overcome this rough patch and regain his form. The F1 world is eagerly watching to see how Norris will respond to this warning and whether he can bounce back stronger in the upcoming races.