Nico Rosberg has highlighted Lando Norris‘s mental fragility as the main challenge threatening the British driver’s pursuit of his first Formula 1 world championship. Norris’s title hopes suffered a setback at the Canadian Grand Prix, where a collision with teammate Oscar Piastri ended his race prematurely and allowed Piastri to maintain fourth place.

This incident left Norris trailing by 22 points in the championship standings after the first ten events of the 2025 season. Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, believes these costly errors are rooted in Norris’s mindset under pressure.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Rosberg stated,

“Lando as you mentioned, it’s been his Achilles heel this year hasn’t it, his mental fragility, his doubts, and they came to the fore again now in Montreal,”

highlighting the mental challenges Norris faced. Rosberg added that

“It’s just when the pressure is highest there’s these little mistakes that creep in.”

Pressure and Mistakes Undermining Norris’s Performance

Rosberg pointed out that Norris’s difficulties were evident even before the race incidents, such as during qualifying. Despite having one of the faster cars, Norris only secured seventh on the starting grid after making two significant mistakes in the final qualifying session. This compromised his advantage early on.

Further discussing the critical moment in Montreal, Rosberg remarked,

“In the heat of the moment, in the most critical moment where he was trying to pass his championship rival he did a very strange misjudgment, just driving right into the back of him,”

underlining how mental pressure affected his on-track decisions.

The Role of Sports Psychology in Overcoming Mental Barriers

Rosberg has personally reached out to Norris on multiple occasions to offer his support and recommends that Norris engage with a sports psychologist to build mental resilience. Reflecting on his own journey, Rosberg credited psychological coaching for his improved emotional control and eventual success in the 2016 season when he narrowly beat Lewis Hamilton to claim the title.

Describing their similarities, Rosberg said,

“Lando, just like I was, is a little bit more of a sensitive person,”

explaining that Norris tends to harbor self-doubt and insecurities. However, he also mentioned that this sensitivity can have positive aspects, as it encourages self-reflection rather than overconfidence or blame-shifting.

Rosberg emphasized the complexity of mental performance, stating,

“There’s a lot going on up there,”

but reassured that working on one’s mental state can yield improvement. He shared his own rigorous psychological training routine:

“I actually worked with my psychologist for two hours every two days during the entire winter period, and then during the season as well. It was extremely intense. Harder than the physical workouts but it gave me so much, because you learn lifestyle design.”

Regarding Norris’s recent steps to manage distractions, Rosberg commented,

“We hear about Lando eliminating Instagram. That’s one part of the puzzle, because Instagram and all those negative comments consumes you, it eats you up. So deleting that is perfect, a very good step. There’s 15 other steps you can make.”

Implications for Norris’s Championship Challenge

Norris’s ongoing mental challenges threaten to undermine his chances of claiming the 2025 Formula 1 championship, despite demonstrating strong speed and skill on the track. Rosberg’s insight sheds light on how psychological factors can profoundly impact performance at the highest level of motorsport.

As the season progresses, Norris’s ability to strengthen his mental resilience, possibly with professional help, could determine whether he closes the gap on his rivals and transforms his talent into a championship-winning campaign. Following Rosberg’s advice and continuing to remove distractions may be crucial next steps for Norris’s title ambitions.