Lando Norris “ignored everyone who talked rubbish about him” after he dominated the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to secure a first Formula 1 world championship.
Norris arrived in Brazil with a one-point lead over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
But he heads to Las Vegas in two weeks with a 24-point lead with just 83 points available over the final three rounds after following up his Sprint win on Saturday with another dominant display in the main event.
Piastri crashed out of the race and then finished fifth on Sunday after serving a 10-second penalty for a collision with Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen fought back from the start to third with a brilliant drive, but is now 49 points off the championship lead.
Norris appeared to be collapsing under the weight of expectations at a superior McLaren team.
However, the 25-year-old is performing well when it matters most – claiming his second successive win here after an equally dominant win in Mexico.
When asked how he found such form, Norris replied: “Just ignore everyone talking nonsense about you and focus on yourself.”
Norris was 34 points behind Piastri when his car’s engine expired at Zandvoort on the last day of August, although he can now finish second behind his McLaren teammate in the final rounds in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as well as the Doha sprint race, and still retain the title.
Norris continued: “We’re pushing hard every weekend and I’m pulling hard off the track.
“It’s rewarding because it doesn’t come easy. To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest today but I’m happy to get the win. It was a perfect weekend.”
When asked if he was now starting to dream of being crowned world champion, a cautious Norris said: “No, not at all.
“It’s a great win, but considering how close Max was, it’s disappointing that we weren’t faster today.
“That’s my mentality at the moment. There’s a long way to go and it can change very quickly. I’ll focus on myself, keep my head down, ignore everyone and keep pushing.”
