Self-Talk in Sports — Lando Norris versus Oscar Piastri
Discussing the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, and how the McLaren drivers approach self-talk after races.
“I feel like I’ve just never driven an F1 car before,” Lando Norris exclaimed after qualifying in sixth position at the Bahrain Grand Prix. His teammate Oscar Piastri took pole position.
“I’m struggling a lot, I don’t know why. I need to try and find some answers.”
Norris had a scrappy weekend in Bahrain.
After a fantastic launch of the starting line, Norris gained three positions up to third place. Unfortunately, he lined up outside of his grid box leading to a five-second penalty.
After serving his penalty in the pits, Norris went on to climb back to a podium position, but was unable to overtake George Russell and his broken Mercedes for a McLaren 1-2 finish.
While Norris occupied our screens at home, it was Piastri who drove a quiet but dominant pole to victory race — for the second time this season. The tides are turning on which McLaren driver is viewed as the championship “favourite,” with many outlets commending Piastri for his mental fortitude.
Piastri is considered F1’s new “ice man.” He’s developed a reputation for staying calm under pressure and keeping his emotional expressions limited.
A recent moment that showcased Piastri’s strength was the Australian Grand Prix — his home race. The season opener was chaos due to the mixed weather conditions. While fighting for first place against his teammate, rain started to fall on track. Both McLaren drivers slid off track, but Piastri ended up beached in wet grass.
F1’s timing tower deemed Piastri out of the race, but the Australian hadn’t given up. He meticulously backed his car onto a patch of pavement, and was able to re-join the race at the back of the pack. Then, Piastri drove aggressively through the field, making his way from thirteenth to ninth position with a devastating overtake on Lewis Hamilton.
When asked about his race, Piastri exclaimed, “I’ve only got myself to blame. I tried to push too much in those conditions. But the other 56 and three-quarter laps were very strong.
“I’m obviously very disappointed, but I think there are a lot of positives to take.”
Piastri took a positive approach to addressing the race, focusing on his strong performance while acknowledging that there’s room for improvement.
How did Norris respond to his performance in Bahrain?
When asked if there were any positives he could take from the race, Norris responded, “I mean, that’s not how I think.
“It probably should be how I think, but it’s not how I think.”
He continued, “I mean, to finish third, to get some more championship points on the board, to keep the championship and just my race alive was a good thing.
“But not happy about the result today … I think the best I could’ve done was second … I think I made my life too difficult with too many mistakes.
“I’m surprised. Everyone says I’m leading the championship — I don’t know how at the minute.”
One of the biggest criticisms against Norris is his “mental weakness.”
As I’ve previously discussed, this is a thinly veiled critique on his openness about mental health. There is nothing shameful about that.
Norris appears to cope with his frustration by airing it all out. After the race, he told media, "The thing is, I think it would be even harder for me to not show any of these things. A lot of this is — when I do my interviews and whatever — a lot of it is probably just getting my frustration out.
“It’s just because of not achieving what I want to achieve. It’s because of my desire to do well and my ambition to win. When I know what I can do and what I’m capable of, and I’m not even close to reaching that — like [in qualifying] — I’m very disappointed in myself.
“That’s just the way I am. I’m just so hungry to win and I work so hard to win. When it doesn’t go my way, and when I mess up myself, then I’m very disappointed in myself.
“But during the interviews and saying things I do, I don’t think necessarily have a bad impact on myself negatively. I’ve done it so much my whole life, I’ve learned how to block my own comments away from my thoughts.”
While I’m glad to hear that Norris doesn’t let his negative comments affect himself, research suggests that this type of negative self-talk may be harmful if used incorrectly.
What does the research say about negative self-talk?
Positive self-talk consists of encouraging statements that people say to themselves, while negative self-talk involves statements that are negative, reflecting anger, frustration, or discouragement.
Engaging in negative self-talk is typically associated with increased feelings of disengagement, worry, rumination, performance pressure, and self-criticism. It also brings up worries about failure and what might go wrong.
On the other hand, negative statements such as, “Bad play, idiot,” could be considered helpful if their use results in enhanced performance. In this instance, the negative self-talk is used as a motivational tool.
Research on the effects of negative self-talk is mixed, with some stating that it does not affect performance while others claim it to be detrimental. However, recent research has found that acknowledging a challenge following negative self-talk (e.g., “I’m performing poorly, but I can push through it to succeed”) can boost performance.
While Norris is likely more open about his thoughts than other athletes, negative self-talk is common in sports. When used as a motivational tool for performance, it can be quite helpful. Based on Norris’ interviews, it appears he engages in negative self-talk for this purpose.
However, if negative self-talk leads to rumination, anxiety, and other negative emotions, then it is not a helpful strategy. In those instances, athletes need to learn to reframe their thoughts. Think about how Piastri spoke about his performance in Australia — focus on the positives and how you plan to improve for the next race.
Let’s see how the McLaren drivers handle racing in Jeddah.
Want to learn more?
Embrace the Challenge: Acknowledging a Challenge Following Negative Self-Talk Improves Performance
The Relationship Between Self-Talk and Affective Processes in Sports: A Scoping Review