Nico Rosberg has reportedly upset members of the McLaren team with his comments about Lando Norris’ mental approach. The German racer suggested that the 25-year-old should start working with a psychologist, taking a leaf out of his own book from his F1 career.
Rosberg won the 2016 Drivers’ Championship ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton before announcing his shock retirement, but it did not come easily. The Wiesbaden-born racer was forced to tap into the mental side of the game and spent hours with psychologists to understand and control his emotions. This, he believes, is something that Norris could make use of.
Following a disappointing qualifying session at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, Rosberg, who was on punditry duties with Sky Sports F1, said: “Everything had gone perfectly for Lando.
“He was first until that last run. From my point of view, he needs to work on the mental side. We all work hours and hours training our bodies. I don’t know if Lando has a mental coach. Does he work with a psychologist or not? He definitely should because there’s so much value in that.
“I worked with one, just to help us understand the best possible approach. I did two hours every two days leading up to the season. It was more difficult than the physical training. It was insanely difficult and extremely valuable.”
He also revealed during the Spanish GP weekend that Norris had ignored a direct message on Instagram, in which Rosberg offered to provide advice and mentoring to the McLaren driver.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, these comments did not go down well within the McLaren camp. Figures within the organisation believed that Rosberg was exaggerating and trying to ‘make a name for himself’ as a pundit with outlandish takes.
Norris was asked about Rosberg’s comments directly, but opted against engaging with the 39-year-old. “I don’t know what he said,” the Brit replied. “I mean, I do all of those things. He doesn’t know what I do. I do stuff to make me better.”
Unfortunately for the six-time Grand Prix winner, his fortunes took another turn for the worse in Montreal. After some promising free practice sessions, Norris failed to deliver a strong lap in Q3 and lined up seventh. Then, after a strong damage limitation race, he crashed into team-mate Oscar Piastri with four laps remaining, resulting in retirement.
