Lando Norris: ‘I must give it my all or face defeat’ in pursuit of the 2026 F1 championship

In Q3 at a Baku circuit where McLaren has faced challenges, Norris pushed hard, made a mistake, and qualified fifth on the grid – although a technical issue, which team principal Andrea Stella expects to resolve today, also influenced this outcome.

“I made a mistake on my last lap and faced the consequences,” the British driver acknowledged. “But I’ve reached a point in the championship where I essentially have to go for pole or risk it all. Naturally, I paid for pushing too hard today, but that’s how it goes.”

Norris remarked that he was “probably the slowest on the straights” – not entirely accurate, but he finished 19th in qualifying, ahead of only the Aston Martins and Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi – and he feared he might be a ‘sitting duck’ on Baku’s lengthy straights during Saturday’s race.

“Very thrilling to anticipate that,” a journalist quipped with a hint of sarcasm, to which Norris predictably replied: “Well, for you guys, absolutely. For me, not so much.”

Lando Norris, McLaren

As the reigning world champion, Norris has shared that he is now liberated from the pressure that sometimes weighed on him earlier in his career.

“I’m able to doubt myself less, because I have the inner assurance that I can achieve my goals,” he stated on Wednesday in Baku.

“There’s still pressure; everyone is here because they expect me to deliver impressive performances every weekend, as is expected of the entire team. I've always been the one who needs to prove things to myself. I’m not concerned about what others can prove to me; I prefer to know I can do it myself.

“I always struggled to believe I could win a race in Formula 1 until I actually did. I found it hard to trust that I could have what it takes to secure a world championship until I achieved that as well.

“Now it’s more about having that inner reassurance. I possess confidence and belief in myself, something I wish I had earlier. But that’s just not how I am wired or how I operate. It’s not about pressure; it’s more about confidence in my abilities.”