Lando Norris sends defiant message: 'I don't care what others think'

Pulse Sports Team 10:56 - 20 October 2026

Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has asserted that he does not care about external opinions, as long as he knows within himself that he has the quality to deliver at the highest level on track.

The British driver has frequently spoken openly about his struggles with self-doubt and the psychological demands of the sport, including at the start of his 2025 championship-winning campaign. Following frustrating qualifying sessions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that season, Norris even admitted to feeling "useless" and unsure of how to drive the car, before launching a remarkable late-season charge to clinch the title by just two points ahead of a surging Max Verstappen.

Heading into 2026, Norris has shown significant maturity, insisting that the only person he feels the need to prove anything to is himself.

"I don't know if it's about pressure, or simply that I doubt myself less because I now have that inner conviction that I can achieve my goals. The expectations on me and the entire team are huge—everyone expects a strong performance every single weekend. But I've always been someone who has to prove things to myself first. I don't care what anyone else thinks; the main thing is that I know what I'm capable of.

"It was always hard for me to believe I could win a Formula 1 race until I actually did it. It was just as hard to believe I had what it takes to become a world champion until I won the title," Norris explained.

"Now I carry that inner peace. I have complete trust and confidence in myself. I wish I had felt that earlier, but I'm just not wired that way. So it's not about pressure—it's about having belief in my own ability," the world champion added.