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