'mentality, Approach & Preparation Have Improved'

Lando Norris says he owes his return to nan lead of nan world title to improved consistency successful nan past mates of months.

The Briton, 25, reclaimed nan lead from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 1 constituent pursuing a ascendant triumph astatine nan Mexico City Grand Prix.

That built connected a tally of 5 races since early September, each of which Norris has vanished up of nan Australian.

"Mentality has improved, attack has improved, mentation has improved," Norris said.

"But besides consistency. It's not for illustration I've won nan past six aliases 7 races, but I've been consistently retired location and consistently scoring points.

"That's really nan point that's fixed maine nan biggest boost complete nan past fewer weeks."

Norris has gained 35 points connected Piastri since nan Dutch Grand Prix astatine nan extremity of August, which Piastri won while Norris retired pinch a fuel-line failure.

That consequence made Piastri a beardown title favourite, particularly successful nan discourse of his consistency done nan play up to that point. Norris is still 1 triumph short of Piastri's tally of six this play truthful far.

But Norris rejected nan thought that he had started taking much risks since that title because he felt he had thing to lose.

"Maybe successful qualifying you think: 'Well, whitethorn arsenic good conscionable spell for it.' But it's not for illustration each approach, each thigh I do is, 'I've sewage thing to suffer here, let's effort a spot more.' That's surely not true," he said.

"I decidedly wouldn't put it down to that. I would put it much down to conscionable having worked difficult and having a very bully squad astir me. I'd put 99% of it down to that, 1% a operation of various different things. But astir results coming from activity done alternatively than mentality aliases things."

And he said he was not reasoning astir nan truth that he was starring nan title for nan first clip since nan 4th title of nan season, unless different group brought it up pinch him.

"I don't deliberation successful position of races and achieving nan existent dream of being a champion, I still astatine nan infinitesimal don't consciousness immoderate difference. I deliberation nothing's completed, nothing's done," he said.

"There's still, what, complete 120 points aliases thing available, truthful it doesn't mean thing still for nan clip being. It's a bully thought, again, to look connected and deliberation about, but different it's bully to beryllium there, but to triumph adjacent play and triumph nan last race, that's still my goal."

This weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix is nan first of a tally of 4 races successful 5 weekends that will bring nan play to a close.

Piastri goes into it aft 2 difficult weekends astatine nan US and Mexico City Grands Prix wherever he struggled for pace.

"The past mates of weekends person been a small spot much tricky, but we've sewage beautiful clear answers connected why that's nan case," he said.

"There's not really excessively galore mysteries connected what's happened. There's questions connected why immoderate differences person popped up successful position of really you thrust and worldly for illustration that, but everything is explainable.

"Part of nan struggle nan past mates of weekends is what has been moving for nan mostly of nan play wasn't moving very well.

"But trying to now cognize what I request to do is conscionable astir going retired and doing it whereas I deliberation nan past mates of weekends it wasn't ever evident what I needed to alteration exactly.

"So from that broadside of things we could person nan aforesaid business here, we could person nan aforesaid successful Vegas for example, but I consciousness for illustration now I'm overmuch amended prepared for immoderate benignant of conditions we get."

The McLaren drivers still look a threat from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is 36 points disconnected nan lead aft a beardown tally of results that person seen him triumph 3 times and return a 2nd and 3rd successful nan past 5 grands prix.

That has reduced nan Dutchman's shortage to nan leader from 104 points.

Verstappen said: "For me, there's nary pressure. Even if I don't triumph it, I still cognize that I drove successful a really bully season.

"To still beryllium talking astir being successful this conflict is already singular successful nan first place. For sure, it has to do pinch nan turnaround of nan team. They ne'er gave up and that's nan spot of nan team. Nevertheless, erstwhile you're complete 100 points down and past still we're talking astir being successful this fight, I deliberation it's very impressive."

But nan four-time champion emphasised that he was still very overmuch nan underdog successful nan title fight.

"To nan extremity pinch 4 races, it's still a beautiful large gap," Verstappen said. "I request to people a batch much points (than them) each azygous weekend, which is not that straightforward.

"It comes down to america optimising everything and nailing nan weekend. And too that, probably, we request a small spot of luck connected 1 information to create a bigger offset. But we're going to springiness it all. And if that's going to beryllium capable astatine nan extremity of nan year, I don't know.

"But there's besides not overmuch to lose. I mean, worst lawsuit we person P3 and champion lawsuit you tin triumph a championship.

"There is an opportunity, of course, that we tin triumph it, truthful we are going for it each in."