Norris Concedes He Wasn’t "Prepared" for Verstappen but Is Hungry for a Rematch

Norris Concedes He Wasn’t “Prepared” for Verstappen but Is Hungry for a Rematch

15/03/2025

After tough lessons against Verstappen, Lando Norris feels stronger and ready to battle for wins—and possibly his first F1 championship.

Lando Norris believes he is now better prepared to fight for the Formula 1 world title—even if that means going head-to-head with Max Verstappen, a driver renowned for his relentless racecraft.

With McLaren emerging as a genuine title contender this season—evidenced by their front-row lockout in Melbourne—Norris has his sights set on his first championship. However, securing it won’t be easy. Not only will he have to take on Verstappen, but also his own teammate, Oscar Piastri, among a highly competitive grid.

The 2025 season is shaping up to be a fierce battle, with four top teams expected to fight for victories across the record 24-race calendar. And according to Norris, it will take nerves of steel to come out on top.

“I Wasn’t Ready”

“I learned two big lessons last year,” Norris admitted. “The first is that I wasn’t quite ready to meet the team’s expectations when it came to wheel-to-wheel racing, simply because battling Max is different from anything else.”

“If I had been up against other drivers, I don’t know if it would have been the same. It definitely would’ve been a little easier. That’s a fair assessment because, in my opinion, Max is the toughest driver to race against.”

“He always pushes the limits the most—that’s just how he races. I’ve learned that about him, and I realized where I stood in that situation. Simply put, I wasn’t at his level.”

A New Mindset for 2025

“I took those lessons on board, and by the last two races of the season, I had already improved a lot in those situations. But Formula 1 is unpredictable—no two battles are ever the same. Even if similar scenarios play out, there’s never a guarantee that I’ll make the right call, or that Max—or any other driver—will.”

“It’s tough because these decisions aren’t made in advance. You make them in the moment, half a second before they happen, with no time to analyze everything.”

Still, Norris is eager for another shot.

“I’m excited to go again, to see what I’m capable of, and to take on any driver. I don’t think this season will be just about racing Max. Everyone will be a serious contender for wins depending on the track.”

With McLaren’s resurgence and Norris’s growing confidence, the 2025 season could be his best chance yet to challenge for the ultimate prize.

Norris Learns from Max, Eyes 2025 Title Fight

Norris Learns from Max, Eyes 2025 Title Fight Norris Learns from Max, Eyes 2025 Title Fight

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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