Lando Norris says that there are ‘no excuses’ for him not to fight for the world championship in 2025, after finishing runner-up last year.
Norris and McLaren enter the season as the favourites for many people, after their strong end to the previous campaign. Many argued that the 25-year-old should have clinched his maiden title in 2024, with Norris keen to make the best start possible to aid his title push this term and avoid any repeating mistakes.
“I hope so for sure,” he told various media of being favourite. “I mean, after last year, I think we kind of have no excuses.
“I guess in the past, we’ve had our fair share. I think this year we kind of don’t have any. We have nothing to hide behind.
“We proved last year we have everything we need and everything it takes to fight at the top and be the best.
“If we’re not [quick] at the beginning of the season, then we’re just not good enough, and then we’ve not done a good enough job. But that’s certainly not how we’re thinking of things. It’s not how our mentality has been.
“We ended the season, and I guess as we’ve ended the season, our next season has already started for the guys and girls back in the factory in giving us a car which can compete," the Brit continued.
“A lot of what Formula 1 is, is having a car that can compete. I think we both, as drivers, proved a lot last year, in ourselves and in each other, of what we’re capable of doing and where we do have a car that’s capable of fighting for wins and championships, we’re able to maximise it.
“So I think we’ll probably both say we’re ready and we’re excited for that challenge, but we also have a whole team behind us who are also excited.”
Norris finished 63 points behind Max Verstappen last year, who went on to win his fourth-successive title. Race wins in Miami, Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi were of some comfort to the McLaren driver, but the world championship is now the ultimate aim.
Lando Norris: McLaren still ‘Underdogs’
2024 saw a year of rapid progress for McLaren, who notched their first Constructors’ championship this century, whilst enjoying the sensation of once again fighting for race wins at most Grand Prix.
However, Norris doesn’t want to let the team rest on their laurels and instead continue to harness the underdog spirit that has brought them so much success over the past few campaigns.
“I mean, as much as we want to believe that we’re the best, I guess we still want to feel like we’re underdogs,” he added.
“We have a lot to fight for and try to improve every minute of every day. And of course, there’s going to be more pressure.
“There’s more pressure on the whole team and I guess every individual in the team - there’s over 1000 people.
“Everyone’s going to be thinking it: ‘we did it last year, there’s going to be more eyes on us, more expectation on every single one of us’.
“I’m sure they’ve thought of what else can they do to improve because they don’t want to be the person that doesn’t add that half a tenth, or 0.001s or 0.0002s even.
“So, everyone’s going to be feeling the pressure, but I think we all know it. We’ve acknowledged it, we’ve accepted it - including myself.
“I know coming into this season for a lot of people I’m the favourite, and as a team we’re the favourites.”
Norris on handling the pressure
Fans and critics alike questioned Norris’ credentials when it came to high-pressure situations during his recent title bid, due to poor race starts and an inability to regularly win battles on track against Verstappen.
However, McLaren’s starlet believes quite the opposite, claiming the intense atmosphere only aids his performance.
“A lot of people think pressure is a bad thing but for me it’s really the opposite,” said Norris. “It’s a good thing.
“I’ve always done much better under pressure. I’m able to think and focus much more under pressure.
“So, everyone has their own way of doing things. I still get nervous and have pressure, and I know it’s there.
“But my best performances have often come when it is around. There are more eyes, more expectation on me to prove I’ve stepped it up again from where I did last year.
“I had a good year but it’s clear I needed to improve in many areas, especially in my fighting against Max.
“But I’m not going to be fighting just Max this season; I’m going to be fighting this guy on my left [Oscar Piastri] and many other drivers.”
Pre-season testing for the 2025 campaign will get underway in Bahrain between February 26-28, before the season gets underway in Australia on March 5.
