Lando Norris critics accused of misjudgement over F1 title fight 'weakness'

Former F1 driver Perry McCarthy has defended Lando Norris' response to errors, stating he is right to take a self-critical approach.

Norris has often spoken about his own struggles this year and has been quick to pin the blame on himself when he has made a mistake, whether it be in qualifying or the race.

The comments have come amid a title fight with team-mate Oscar Piastri, who currently holds a 31-point lead over Norris.

Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel has praised Norris' honest approach, stating he is a “role model” to others.

Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365, McCarthy recounted a conversation he had with a driver who was struggling behind the wheel, leaving him to question the veil he pulled over his true emotions.

“There was a racing driver I was speaking to quite a way back and his performances that particular season weren't that great,” McCarthy said.

“He was speaking to a bunch of people, and I said to him, 'Okay, you were a bit upbeat'.

“He said 'you've got to brave it out, haven’t you, and talk it up a bit'.

“I just completely disagreed with that. I really did. I thought it was pretty stupid, to be quite frank.

“There’s an honesty about your own performance and your own situation.”

For some, showing such vulnerability and honesty can be perceived as a sign of weakness.

However, McCarthy stated it would take more of a toll on him to keep things bottled up inside.

“For me personally, it would take more out of me to lie and talk things up than it would to just turn around and say 'I wasn't good enough, or I made a mistake, or I need to be better, or these are the things to concentrate on',” he said.

“That is really just releasing what's going on in your mind as far as your own assessment is going.

“It’s just talking about what that is inside you, there is nothing to really hide.

“It’s there for everybody to see. So why not just turn around and say ‘I'm not an idiot. This is what I did wrong. This is what I need to do better’.”

Norris is entering the final third of the season looking to close down Piastri's title advantage.

Should he continue to adopt his open approach, McCarthy does not believe it will damage his hopes of success.

“I don't see that it's negative,” he said.

“I think that if people seek to take advantage there, then they can try, but I think that they're misjudging that openness as weakness.”