Lando Norris targets George Russell ahead of F1 season opener
Lando Norris has taken aim at George Russell ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne, branding the Mercedes driver a “sneaky” competitor who cultivates a carefully crafted image, reports BritPanorama.
The reigning world champion suggested his British rival presents a calculated front to the paddock and public alike. “George always knows what he’s doing,” Norris told the Daily Mail. “He tries to look the good guy. But he’ll do what he needs to do, in a sneaky way at times.”
Despite the pointed remarks, Norris was quick to acknowledge Russell’s abilities behind the wheel. “But I think a lot of him,” he added. “He is a very, very good driver. He’ll play the game whenever he has to play the game. I mean, he’s smart. He sometimes tries to come across like he’s not.”
Norris placed Russell among an elite group of strategically minded drivers on the current grid, including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. “George, Max, and Lewis, as well. One is a seven-time world champion, one is Max, and George is certainly up there in terms of intelligence,” he explained.
The McLaren driver emphasised that this tactical awareness represents a genuine strength rather than a criticism. “He is always switched on, which is a strength,” he stated. “There is always a reason to put your car here or there or to do this or that. They are not clumsy drivers. They are clever like that.”
Norris suggested these three competitors share an ability to make deliberate, calculated decisions about their positioning during races, setting them apart from less astute rivals.
Following pre-season testing and the latest regulatory changes, Norris assessed the competitive landscape heading into the new campaign. He believes Mercedes currently possess the fastest machinery, with Ferrari slotting in behind them. McLaren, according to Norris’s own evaluation, sit third in the pecking order, while Red Bull and an unsettled Verstappen trail the leading trio. However, Norris urged caution when drawing conclusions from testing performance alone.
“As for us at McLaren, we didn’t look the quickest last year in pre-season testing in Bahrain. And then we turned up to Australia and we were very good. Just wait and see,” he said. The 2025 champion expressed confidence in his team’s position among the frontrunners.
“We are in the top four teams so we know we’re in a good world. As long as we’re in a fight, then it’s a long season,” Norris noted.
Norris also reflected candidly on the psychological challenges he faced during his championship-winning season last year. The British driver admitted he lacked confidence at the start of the campaign, placing himself below the midpoint on a self-assessed scale of self-belief. “My lowest point came in the run-up to Monaco at the end of May last year,” he revealed, following a stretch of six inconsistent races.
From the mid-season Zandvoort race onwards, Norris began intensive work on his mental approach alongside technical improvements with McLaren. Part of his strategy involved removing social media entirely from his devices. “There were times I deleted Instagram, and I didn’t want to see what people were saying about me,” he admitted. “I deleted it all from my phone, so I could concentrate on the stuff I needed to concentrate on and not get distracted.”
As the season kicks off, the stage is set for what promises to be an intriguing rivalry, where the line between strategy and sportsmanship often blurs. Behind the wheel, these competitors may find that the track is as much about mental agility as mechanical prowess.
