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Earlier this season, when he was the red-hot favourite to go on and win his first Formula One world championship, Lando Norris gave a telling insight into his mentality.
Renowned as a very laid-back and easy-going character, the McLaren driver was unperturbed by suggestions that he perhaps lacked the ruthless killer instinct shared by so many F1 world champions of the past.
‘I feel like there is a very prescribed version of how people say a world champion needs to be – overly aggressive,’ said Norris in April.
‘I want to win a championship. I’d rather just be a good person and try to do well. I still believe I can be a world champion but doing it by being a nice guy.
‘That’s kind of the attitude that’s maybe not as much of a killer instinct. I just don’t think you have to have that to be a world champion. I want to prove you can be a world champion and not have it.’
That Norris is not an uber-aggressive alpha male like Max Verstappen is beyond question. The two are cut from a very different cloth.
Lando Norris, above, failed to take advantage of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri's misfortune in Azerbaijan
Max Verstappen didn't need a second invitation to triumph in Baku last Sunday
But, in a season where his McLaren has been far and away the quickest car on the grid, Norris is in danger of letting a world title slip from his grasp.
He trails team-mate Oscar Piastri by 25 points with seven races remaining, with a revitalised Verstappen now 44 points behind Norris after reeling off back-to-back wins at Monza and in Azerbaijan.
It was the race in Baku last weekend which really proved to be a costly missed opportunity for Norris in his attempts to overhaul Piastri.
The Australian, who has been a model of consistency all season, endured an uncharacteristically error-strewn weekend and crashed out on the opening lap.
Norris had an open goal where a big points haul would have seen him cut the deficit in the title race, but he could only labour to a seventh-placed finish.
It was all down to a mistake he made in qualifying on Saturday when he clipped the wall. With overtaking at a premium on a tight street circuit, he failed to make any inroads and finished the race where he started.
A prime Verstappen would never have missed that opportunity to punish a title rival. Nor would Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel to name but a few.
All great champions, they shared a ruthless streak to pounce on any mistake from their title rivals.
Norris, above left, in Baku with team-mate Piastri, who he trails by 25 points in standings
Ultimately, Norris did not deliver on the pace of his car in Baku. With such little margin for error in trying to catch Piastri, it was a huge chance gone begging.
One which also opened the door for a late title challenge from Verstappen. He’s now back on form and Red Bull have finally equipped him with race-winning machinery belatedly in the season.
Only a fool would write off a four-time world champion. He could pose a serious threat to the McLarens over these final few races.
After being outmuscled and bulled in the title fight with the Dutchman last season, this is shaping up to be another season where Nice Guy Norris misses a golden opportunity.
