Lando Norris shares a poignant 'In 200 years no one is going to care' perspective as he battles for his first F1 title against Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris had a wretched response when questioned about the lack of mind games in his title battle with Oscar Piastri. He claimed that he didn't want to race in that manner. The 2025 F1 season has become more and more clear that the battle for the championship will be between the McLaren duo.

Both of them are young drivers, and both were considered the stars of the future when they first debuted in F1. With that being said, the battle between the two drivers has been very intense on track. There's hardly anything to pick between the two, and more often than not, it comes down to what the drivers are capable of at crunch time.

As a result, as we head to the summer break, the gap between the two drivers is just nine points, with Oscar Piastri ahead of Lando Norris. Despite being this close in the championship, there doesn't appear to be any kind of friction or needle between the two drivers, as both have continued to be cordial off-track.

Lando Norris was questioned about why he didn't engage in some mental battles, a key attribute that a lot of the legends used in the past. The driver replied that he wanted to do things his way, and in 200 years, no one will remember what anyone did, and hence, he was just interested in doing things his way. He said, via PlanetF1:

“I don’t enjoy that. In 200 years no one is going to care, we’ll all be dead. I am trying to have a good time. I still care about it, and that’s why I get upset sometimes and I get disappointed and I get angry at myself. And I think that shows just how much I care about winning and losing."

He added:

“But that doesn’t mean I need to take it out on Oscar. I just don’t get into those kind of things. Yes, he is the guy I want to beat more than anyone else. But if I don’t beat him, then that’s just because he has done a better job. I will do it the way I believe is best for me, and just because one person did it a few years ago, it doesn’t mean you have to do that, too. I don’t really care about those things.”

McLaren boss' clear direction to both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri about their battle

McLaren boss Zak Brown has continued to maintain a standard approach to the battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. He has made it clear that the team wouldn't interfere in what the drivers were doing.

When questioned about the directive for both drivers, Brown said that it all came down to keeping things clean and not making contact with your teammate. He said:

“Race each other respectfully, and give each other enough room and don’t touch each other.”

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continue to be separated by just nine points in the championship. With 10 races left, an incremental increase in intensity from both of them will be expected.