May 12, 2025

 

After writing about the power of self-talk, I was struck by the recent criticism calling Lando Norris “mentally weak.” While he certainly doesn’t need me to defend him, I found the comments disappointing, short-sighted, and flat-out inaccurate from a psychological standpoint. 

​

First of all: What makes a person feel entitled to determine who is and isn't mentally strong or weak?  Making a claim like that shows an ignorance and an arrogance that should set off every alarm bell for its gross psychological oversimplification. 

 

Secondly: How can anyone presume to know what is going on in Norris' thoughts to even make such a judgment about his mental state? 

 

And finally: Norris gave us some information that he has an inner critic and despite his inner critic, he still performs at an extraordinary level.

​

So let’s imagine this for a moment: you're an F1 driver. There’s a drill sergeant in your head, shouting through a megaphone all day. He hurls harsh criticism, condescending remarks, constantly reminding you of your failures. Sometimes, at the most critical moments, he yells, “Don’t crash! Don’t screw this up!” His tone is militaristic—loud, demanding, relentless. And when you do mess up? He calls you a “fucking idiot.”

​

We don’t know exactly how hard Lando Norris’ inner voice is—but we know he’s spoken about being self-critical, and we know he’s under constant, crushing pressure. So ask yourself: if someone can carry even some version of that voice and still perform at the absolute edge of physical and mental endurance, does that sound like weakness? Or does that sound like someone with phenomenal resilience?

 

This is elite mental toughness.

 

Now, imagine what he will be capable of when he starts speaking to himself with positive self-talk and that positive self-belief instead of negativity. 

​​​​