\n<\/p>\n
Norris added that knowing a mistake can be so costly makes dealing with qualifying or a grand prix so difficult.<\/p>\n
“When you enter Q3 or any qualifying lap, when you have to go and deliver, it gives you butterflies every single time,” Norris said.<\/p>\n
“It’s so much nerves, so much pressure. And you know if you do one thing – brake a metre too late, turn in at the wrong timing or whatever it is, it’s game over.<\/p>\n
“And the knowledge of that just puts you under a very tense feeling. But it’s an amazing feeling at the same time, that you maybe can’t replicate in many other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris admitted he had “changed a lot” since he entered F1 in 2019, at the age of 19.<\/p>\n
“I almost cared too much about other people’s opinions, rather than doing my own stuff and being myself when I came into F1.<\/p>\n
“I just feel like over time, with pressure and focus on doing the job I have to do, I found a better balance of life.<\/p>\n
“My focus and job I am here to do is the same whether I laugh or joke less – it’s just how I’ve changed – and I still love what I do, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”<\/p>\n
Norris has acknowledged that the odds are against him in his quest to overhaul Verstappen, who finished second at his home race on Sunday.<\/p>\n
But he and McLaren know the constructors’ title, in which they trail Red Bull by just 30 points, is more realistic.<\/p>\n
“We are pushing hard every weekend and our goal is to catch both,” he said. “From the constructors’ side, it looks a lot more doable than the drivers’ side but we\u2019re pushing hard and that’s all we can do.”<\/p>\n
Verstappen has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, six races ago, and said his advantage could be “easily overturned”.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman said: “If I win it or not, it’s not going to change my life. Would I like to win it? Yes, of course. But it’s not in my hands with the performance of the car.<\/p>\n
“I just try to do the best I can, give feedback, try to make it faster. If that is going to be enough to the end of the year, I don’t know. But I do know we’re going to give it everything as a team to try to be more competitive than we showed in Zandvoort, because that was a poor weekend for us.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n