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F1 pundit Natalie Pinkham gave a short reaction as she praised Sebastian Vettel for backing Lando Norris's self-critical approach to racing. The McLaren driver has often been hard on himself when he fails to deliver a performance up to his standards on the track as was the case during the Bahrain GP qualifying session.
The championship leader could only manage a disappointing P6 over one lap while his teammate Oscar Piastri claimed pole position. After the session, the British driver was critical of his driving and stated that after qualifying, he felt like he had not driven an F1 car previously.
During the Race4Women event ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel defended Lando Norris's nature amidst criticism regarding the latter's mental strength in comparison to his teammate. The former four-time F1 world champion said in a clip shared by Sky Sports on Instagram:
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"Aren't we all having good times and bad times, whether we are Formula One drivers, or, you know, having a regular, let's say, regular job? We have better days and worse days. The threat now is that people talk about what he is maybe going through and interpret it as a sign of weakness, like, why is he doing that? You know, what's going on with him? What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing's wrong with him. Self-doubt is the most natural thing there is, but it's the most unnatural thing to talk about. And that is wrong. So I think it is completely fine, and I think it's very courageous of him to open up and talk about that side of him. And I wish, and I hope that the media picks it up and turns it a little bit around," he added.
In the comments section of the clip, Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham gave a three-word reaction to Vettel's assessment and said:
"Spot on Seb."
Lando Norris is currently leading the driver's championship from Oscar Piastri by a mere three points in the 2025 season.
Sebastian Vettel chooses between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel stated that he would pick Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri as the favorite for the title despite his slightly underwhelming performances in the last two races.
As per ESPN, the 37-year-old spoke about the two McLaren drivers and said:
"I would still put Lando as an indirect favourite, but time will tell. Naturally, people always look for entertainment, which is fine and it's part of the sport, but I don't see those two having a really intense and rough partnership."
Despite a car advantage, there have not been any flashpoints between Lando Norris and his teammate as of now in the four races and one Sprint thus far.
