Lando Norris Criticized as “Mentally Weak” by F1 Champion Alan Jones While….Read More
Former Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones has made headlines for his harsh criticism of McLaren driver Lando Norris, branding the Briton “weak” and dismissing some of his recent public comments as “nonsense.” Meanwhile, Jones has offered strong praise for Norris’ McLaren teammate and fellow Australian, Oscar Piastri, whom he believes has what it takes to become world champion — possibly even this season.
Jones, the 1980 F1 drivers’ title winner, made the remarks during an appearance on Fox Sports’ The Back Page, where he contrasted the mental strength of the two McLaren teammates. He emphasized that the first and most important rival any driver faces is the one on the other side of the garage, and in his view, Piastri is clearly winning that battle.
According to Jones, Piastri is showing the makings of a future world champion and has already taken a psychological edge over Norris in their intra-team competition. “He’s without a doubt a future world champion,” Jones said. “He’s come out of almost nowhere and he’s got all the attributes that you need to be a world champion.”
The Australian F1 legend suggested that Norris has shown signs of struggling mentally in recent interviews, suggesting he is overly focused on past issues instead of maintaining a forward-looking mindset. Jones pointed out that Norris’ tendency to speak publicly about his struggles has given Piastri an advantage. “At the end of the day, his team-mate [Norris] is weak,” Jones said. “He’s quite quick, there’s no doubt about that. But mentally, I think he’s quite a weak person.”
Jones continued, “He’s coming out with all this nonsense that he’s got a bit of a mental thing, he’s dwelling on some of the problems he’s had rather than the positives. When they start talking all that nonsense, you know you’ve got them.”
So far in the 2025 season, Piastri has turned heads with his rapid development, particularly in qualifying where he has addressed a key weakness from last year. The 2021 Formula 2 champion currently leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers’ standings, having overcome an early-season deficit. His consistency and composure have positioned him as a genuine contender for the championship.
Jones’ comments have sparked conversation about the psychological aspect of racing at the highest level, with some viewing the criticism of Norris as unnecessarily harsh, while others agree that mental strength is as vital as speed in modern Formula 1.
As the battle between the two McLaren drivers intensifies, all eyes will be on how Norris responds — both on and off the track.
