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Last Updated:December 09, 2025, 13:48 IST
In a season that turned into a three-way dogfight between himself, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, Norris admits there were moments when the dream felt miles out of reach.
McLaren's Lando Norris (AP)
The road to a World Championship is never smooth — more like a rollercoaster of pressure, self-doubt, and the occasional emotional pothole.
And in a season that turned into a three-way dogfight between himself, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris admits there were moments when the dream felt miles out of reach.
But then came one lap. One perfect lap.
Speaking to BBC Sport, fresh off clinching his maiden F1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi —- sealing the title by just two points after finishing third behind Verstappen — the new British champion reflected on the turning point of his season.
“I’ve certainly had some fortune this year, but I’ve had a fair share of tough moments," Norris said. “There was a lot I struggled with. I lost a little bit of belief early in the season."
That belief snapped back into place at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Norris arrived in Monaco on the back of a rough qualifying run, questioning one of the core foundations of his racing identity. So, the Brit went hunting for a lap that could reset everything.
He found it.
Lando: “The lap I did in Monaco in quali was one of the best moments of my career in a way. Because it was the time that I almost doubted myself the most ever, in the most important season that it turned out to be. But that one lap, one minute nine seconds was all it needed for… pic.twitter.com/yEGMQMrDJs— naenia ¹ (@naenia01) December 8, 2025
“The lap I did in Monaco qualifying was the only other time in the last 10 years I cried a little bit over something," he told BBC Sport. “To go there — at the hardest track — and put in that lap at the end of qualifying… it was one of the best moments of my career. That one lap flipped everything."
That pole marked the start of the surge. Norris closed the year with seven poles, seven wins and 423 points, becoming McLaren’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and denying Verstappen a fifth crown.
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First Published:
December 09, 2025, 13:48 IST
News sports formula-one The One Lap That Made A Champion: Lando Norris Reveals 'The Turning Point' During 2025 F1 Title Run
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