Jenson Button has praised Lando Norris for speaking openly about mental health, saying the McLaren driver’s honesty shows real strength in a sport where pressure and insecurity can affect even the most successful competitors.
The 2009 Formula 1 world champion discussed the subject during an appearance on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast with Tom Clarkson, where he reflected on the psychological demands of racing at the highest level.
Button said Formula 1 drivers are often flawed and insecure, despite the confidence they may appear to show from the outside. He argued that even elite drivers can quickly forget their achievements and focus only on their most recent performance.
As an example, Button referred to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari radio messages, saying that even a seven-time world champion can experience moments of doubt when communication or performance does not feel right.
According to Button, drivers often put enormous pressure on themselves, especially when they compare lap times with their team-mates. He said being two-tenths behind a team-mate can be enough to trigger feelings of not being good enough.
Button said many talented drivers struggle because they are mentally in a difficult place, yet the subject is often treated as a weakness and left unspoken. That, he said, is why Norris’s openness about mental health stood out.
Button praised the way Norris has spoken about the issue over recent years, describing it as a positive step that can give a driver strength rather than make them appear vulnerable.
The source text states that Norris was open about his mental health challenges during his championship battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
After securing the title, Norris told Sky Sports News that working with a psychologist had been important during the season. He explained that it is difficult to measure exactly how much one meeting or one piece of support contributes, but every small improvement can add up.
Norris said support from a psychologist and other specialists helped him perform better, particularly in the second half of the season. He suggested that those small gains played a role in the winning run that ultimately helped him secure the championship.
