Despite the media and the fans rallying Lando Norris up for a title shot in 2024, oftentimes it was he who would downplay those suggestions. He has been the first to admit that he doesn’t really believe in hyping himself up. However, for 2025, he is confident that he has what it takes to win his maiden F1 title.
Norris dropped an appearance on This Morning as he prepares for the upcoming season. Speaking about the lessons learned from last year, the #4 driver revealed that he saw himself winning races, dominating Grand Prix weekends, and is more confident in his abilities.
Moreover, the off-season has allowed him to prepare himself in the best way possible for a title fight.
“I would say I’m confident which is a rare thing for me to be. Definitely not overconfident. But I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been, both physically [and] mentally,” he said.
“Lando he’s the favourite for next year now to win the championship”
Nico Rosberg is backing Lando Norris to take the Drivers’ Championship in 2025 pic.twitter.com/4do9pddg7q
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 10, 2024
One of the biggest criticisms against Norris last season was that he was prone to making mistakes under pressure. However, he proved once and for all that he had stable shoulders. A testament to this was his performance at the Abu Dhabi GP.
McLaren needed Norris to win the race to have any chance at the Constructors’ title, and with Carlos Sainz hounding him with his Ferrari, the pressure could not get any higher. The Briton, though, kept his cool brilliantly and delivered, and in the process helped his team win their first Constructors’ title since 1998.
Norris is wounded but wiser after his title fight with Verstappen in 2024
Norris has kept his 2024 season firmly in perspective while preparing for the season to come ahead. He revealed that he has made mistakes in the past and that his battles with Max Verstappen didn’t always go his way. But that has only wisened him up for the challenges he’ll face in 2025.
“I’m definitely not saying I did it perfectly [last year] and I did make mistakes. I think I had my fair share of mistakes and errors but I’m happier I had it last year and I can come into this year kind of confident,” he added.
One of the biggest lessons he would have taken away from 2024 is the way Verstappen operates. Knowing this, the #4 driver will surely recalibrate his approach in wheel-to-wheel battles in general but especially against the Dutchman.
Moreover, Norris would have taken a lot of pointers on how his incidents with the #1 driver were penalized by the stewards. This would come in handy for the Briton, knowing that the FIA have a set of documented guidelines for wheel-to-wheel racing that Verstappen exploited to his advantage last year that he too could potentially exploit.
