SAO PAULO -- Lando Norris said his current run of red-hot form shows he's lessened the weaknesses which plagued the earlier part of his 2025 season.
Norris won Saturday's sprint at Interlagos -- opening up a nine-point gap over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the title race -- and then claimed pole for Sunday's race.
Piastri will start fourth, with title outsider Max Verstappen down in 16th, giving Norris a golden opportunity to open up his advantage.
Norris has completely turned the title race around, having left August's Dutch Grand Prix 34 points adrift.
The Englishman had struggled for form earlier in the season, with Piastri leading the title race from late April all the way until Norris dominated the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago.
While Norris is not completely confident he will keep Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli behind from second on Sunday, he said he feels like he is driving at a very high level and should be confident of converting.
Asked how confident he felt going into Sunday, he said: "It depends. I mean, confident in what? I think in our race pace tomorrow -- not the most I've had. I was certainly more confident in Mexico.
"I think after this morning, with the Mercedes pace and Kimi's pace, it certainly lowered my confidence level altogether. But we're still quick. We've still got that little advantage in qualifying, and I really hope that we can continue that into the race tomorrow.
"But the weather is going to change again -- I think it's meant to be even colder, which might suit them even more. And the wind is meant to change also. So it's difficult. Every track is so different. The feeling I have on one track is different to the next and those kinds of things. But I just feel like I'm doing a good job. I'm driving well.
"Before, earlier in the season, I would just have weaknesses, and I feel like I've, let's say, I've maybe still got some here and there, but I've lessened them, they're not like one tenth now -- it's two hundredths. So when I can put together the good parts and have those not-so-bad parts, things go very well."
When Norris was asked what advice he would give to Antonelli in the early stages of his career, the Italian answered himself, laughing. "To stay behind, probably," the Mercedes rookie joked.
Norris joined in the light-hearted back and forth with his own answer.
"Sometimes it's good to not take risks, and sometimes it's just good to play it safe, bank some good points, and defend to everyone else behind you," Norris joked. "Yeah. I've always got told you have to be nice to people older than you, so Kimi -- be nice!"
With much less to lose in terms of championship permutations, Antonelli suggested he will be going for it off the line.
"To be fair, I'm a bit annoyed I'm again behind him," Antonelli said. "I mean, we're so close this morning in the sprint as well but it was a very tricky session with the wind. Very tricky to put a lap together but still managed in the last run to put a decent lap, and yeah, happy with that.
"Starting P2 tomorrow. Of course, they're very fast, so it's going to be important to get a good start and try to set a good pace."