Lando Norris insists he knows he is “good enough” after a comeback drive at the Bahrain Grand Prix helped banish his despondency after qualifying.
The 25-year-old produced a strong race to battle back from sixth on the grid to finish third, overcoming a five-second penalty and a ding-dong battle with Charles Leclerc.
Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri claimed a dominant race win ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
After falling short in qualifying on Saturday, Norris said he was “clueless” how to get the best out of his car.
The British driver, who now leads Piastri by three points in the championship standings after four races, admits he can be overly self-critical but is adamant he does not lack belief.
“I’m confident I have everything I need, I have got what it takes. I have no doubt about that, that I am good enough,” Norris said.
“I’m just nowhere near the capability that I have.
“I am not doubting myself, even though sometimes it might seem like that. Something is not gelling and not clicking and therefore I don’t feel comfortable.
“When I know what I can do and what I am capable of and I am not even close to reaching that like yesterday, I am very disappointed in myself.
“That’s just the way I am, I am just so hungry to win.
“Doing interviews and saying things I do, I don’t think necessarily has a bad impact on myself.
“I have learnt to block my own comments away from my thoughts, maybe sometimes I lack a bit of self-belief but that is also me, the way I do things.
“I know what I can do and what I can do and achieve is good enough and easily up there with the best.”
Piastri’s victory was the first for McLaren at the Sakhir circuit, sparking jubilant scenes in the gulf state with the team majority owned by the Bahrain sovereign wealth fund.
The Australian converted his pole into a dominant win, coming home over 15 seconds clear of Russell, despite seeing his commanding lead taken away by a mid-race safety car.
Piastri is the first man this season to win multiple races, adding Bahrain to his China success, and he leapfrogged Max Verstappen up to second in the championship.
Russell played down his chances of joining the title picture despite a third podium of the season and Piastri is ready for a McLaren championship scrap.
“I think it is going to be a tight battle,” Piastri said.
“I think at the moment we have not had a consistent challenger week in week out.
“It is going to be a tight year, definitely, and as long as we have the best car it will be tight between Lando and I.”
Russell overcame a number of issues with his car to hold off Norris in the closing stages and escaped without sanction after a stewards’ investigation over opening his DRS wing when more than one second behind the car in front.
Ferrari enjoyed a more positive day with Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, while Verstappen ended up sixth after a miserable race hampered by two slow pit stops.
