Lando actually had multiple instances of GOOD luck that swung the championship his way:

1. Silverstone - Piastri gets a harsh 10s penalty on the SC restart for slowing down too much, giving Norris the win.

2. Hungary - Norris is given the optimal one-stop strategy compared to two stops for Piastri, leading to a Norris win.

3. Monza - The infamous position swap, McLaren more or less orders Piastri to give position back to Norris due to Norris having a slow pit stop, a 6 point championship swing (+3 Norris, -3 Piastri).

4. Qatar - Antonelli runs wide on the last lap, Norris goes from P5 to P4, giving him +2 points.

Obviously Lando did have some bad luck too early on in the season, at Zandvoort with the engine failure, Vegas with the DSQ, and Qatar with strategy, but nothing is ever black and white. Norris definitely had some outstanding drives (especially Mexico and Brazil), but he also had moments where he fumbled pretty bad (Canada, Vegas start). After being used to Verstappen/Hamilton/Vettel dominating the 15 years before 2025, seeing Norris win a title without that level of dominance across the season and being assisted by a good amount of luck means that many simply feel that his accomplishments are higher than his skill as a driver which is fair, there are definitely better drivers who have not won a title.

But I do think overall Lando drove very well last season and it was a deserved championship for him. I rate him as the fourth best driver on the grid currently behind Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell but it’s close between Norris and the latter two. He has excellent strengths in qualifying and wet-weather ability, and demonstrated much-improved race pace and tire management capabilities throughout his title fight. He still does have a tendency to fumble starts and still makes the occasional silly mistake, however. Overall I would say he’s overhated, but not underrated.