Norris has gained 35 points on Piastri since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, which Piastri won while the fuel line failed.
The result made Piastri a strong title favourite, especially in the context of his consistency throughout the season up to that point. Norris’s one more win falls short of Piastri’s tally in six seasons so far.
But Norris dismissed the idea that he started taking more risks since that race because he felt he had nothing to lose.
“You might be qualified to think: ‘Well, might as well go for it.’ But it’s not like every approach, every lap I’m like, ‘I’ve got nothing to lose here, let’s try harder.’ That’s really not true,” he said.
“I don’t put it down to that. I put it down to more working hard and having a really good team around me. But the results of different things. But the most results that come from the work.
And he said that he did not think about the fact that he was leading the championship for the first time since the fourth generation of the season, unless other people brought it.
“I don’t think in terms of races and achieving the real dream of being a champion, I still don’t feel different. I don’t think anything has been done,” he said.
“There’s still, what, more than 120 points or something available, so it doesn’t mean anything else for the time.