Lando Norris details unique change that helped spark F1 resurgence

Lando Norris has revealed a unique change that has helped transform his F1 season.

The McLaren driver took a dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix to reclaim the lead of the world championship from teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point with four races remaining.

After storming to pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Norris revealed that he turned off the delta display on his steering wheel earlier in the season.

Drivers rely on the data provided through their steering wheel display for real-time information on how their laps are developing, but, in an unusual move, Norris has decided to stop using the information so he can simply focus on driving as fast as he can.

“I’ve not had it since Monaco,” Norris explained. “I’ve never used the delta since in qualifying. Who knows if it would have helped me or made me worse?

“I think the thing when I don’t have it is, I push no matter what – no matter how the start of the lap was, no matter how any corner was. I guess it’s because you have no reference of maybe the overall lap time, you just always try and maximise every corner to the maximum.

“Otherwise sometimes I just stare at it too much, and that’s never the best thing. It’s just nice because normally when it goes well, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the lap time pop up when it’s as good as this one.”

Suspension tweak also key

Norris’s upturn in form since his retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort has seen him enjoy a 35-point swing on Piastri over the following five events.

This, combined with Piastri’s sudden slump, has raised suspicions that McLaren could be favouring Norris in the title race. Such wild theories have been batted away by the team and F1 pundits alike.

There is a less sinister explanation for what is going on, and it is linked to Norris’s confidence within McLaren’s MCL39.

Earlier this season, Norris was not fully comfortable in the car.

McLaren switched off development of their 2025 car months ago, with their last upgrade coming at the Italian Grand Prix in September. The last big update – in the shape of a revised floor – came at the British Grand Prix in July.

A new front suspension was offered to both drivers at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, but only Norris decided to take it. Over recent months, the Briton has found a sweet spot he is happier with and his performances have improved. 

Norris revealed a key debrief with his engineer following the Singapore Grand Prix helped spark his recent resurgence.

“It’s just, I feel better with the car today,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 after winning by nearly 30 seconds in Mexico City. “Everything’s about how I feel with the car. Last year, I felt very good with the car, I could perform better. This year I’ve struggled to get to grips with it.

“It’s been incredibly quick, but it’s clearly still difficult to drive. But when you get in that sweet spot, you can make it work, and it’s still something that over the last few weekends I’ve struggled with, even in Singapore.

“I mean, we had our debrief and we sat down for half an hour, and like: ‘Guys, this is exactly the car I don’t want. This is the reason why we can’t win more races, why we’re not gonna win in the future, is if we keep having a car that doesn’t give me what I need’.

“This weekend, I just had a little bit more what I need, and I can perform how I did this weekend. It’s as simple as that.”