Lando Norris sends Red Bull title warning as McLaren eye “next step” in F1 2025

Lando Norris is “100 per cent” confident McLaren can be a serious F1 title contender in 2025.

Norris claimed his first F1 victory last time out in the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren’s second top step appearance in the last decade.

The British driver did inherit the lead due to the Safety Car but demonstrated McLaren’s impressive progress after that, pulling a seven second gap to Max Verstappen.

It continues McLaren’s impressive trajectory from the back of the field to regular contender.

Just 12 months ago, Norris left the 2023 Miami Grand Prix having run around at the back of the field.

Norris now believes McLaren are “closer to an ever” to mounting a serious challenge, eyeing 2025 as the year to do so.

“100 per cent,” he told Sky Sports. “I am saying that still with my feet on the ground. I want to believe that we have two great drivers. We have an amazing team behind us and we are closer than ever.

“As much as I said at the beginning of this year we can win races, I should have the confidence to say next year we can go for the next step.”

Despite beating Red Bull on pure pace in Miami, Norris admitted that McLaren still have “work to do”.

"We still have work to do, we are not at the level they are just yet," Norris added.

"On average we are not quite where we want to be. We still have our feet on the ground, we know we have more work to do. As soon as they've all had a little drink this morning I'm going to tell them to get back to work so we can keep fighting even more.

"If there is any race I want to have the same speed it is at Silverstone. We can win races this year, we can compete against Red Bull and we are looking at an exciting season between us, Red Bull and Ferrari."

Norris currently sits fourth in the 2024 F1 standings, 53 points behind Verstappen.