Norris takes advice to adopt lower profile

May 17 (GMM) Lando Norris appears to have taken some wise words of advice to heart.

The former world championship leader, now trailing his cool and calm McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, is often criticised for his openness, self-deprecation, and emotion.

F1 legend Alain Prost thinks it’s a big mistake.

“Now, everything is shown, everything is experienced, everything is known,” the 70-year-old wrote in a recent column for L’Equipe.

“Others choose to remain discreet – in my opinion rightly so,” Prost added. “The new championship leader, Oscar Piastri, hardly talks at all.

“He’s naturally reserved, disappearing between races and freeing himself from this pressure.”

It’s notable that, following hefty criticism for his on-radio and off-track comments in Miami, Lewis Hamilton subsequently ‘unfollowed’ every single account on Instagram.

“Lewis can do what he wants,” fellow Briton Norris said when asked about the move. “Good for him.”

Norris then revealed that he has also taken a clear step back from social media. His last Instagram update for his nearly 10 million followers was a week ago, and he completely abandoned X almost a year ago.

“I’ve not been on social media for a few weeks now,” said the 25-year-old. “It’s not something I enjoy. I don’t need to be on it.

“It’s my life and I can do what I like,” Norris added. “I still text my friends, but I see social media as a waste of my time and energy.

“I play golf and I train and I want to be productive.”

Norris denies, however, that having fallen behind Piastri amid alleged nervousness and mistakes, he is now over-thinking his quest to be world champion.

“I don’t care about it and I won’t think about it,” he insists. “It’s easy for things to change.

“Oscar has done a good job. But he’s just another competitor. Another guy, he’s just dressed in the same colours.”

Norris thinks it’s a simple matter of Piastri being more naturally suited to the current McLaren. “I’m obviously not happy with it at the moment, but we will see with the upgrades,” he said.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko says his pick for the intra-team battle at McLaren this year is clearly Piastri. When asked for his opinion, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff answered: “Before the season, I would have said Norris, with his experience and speed.”

He told Osterreich newspaper: “But I still see them both as equal favourites for the world championship.”