Lando Norris feel he's “good enough” to win 2025 F1 title after overcoming confidence issues

Lando Norris feels he now has the “confidence” to win the F1 drivers’ championship this year after struggling with self-belief in the past.

Norris was Max Verstappen’s closest rival in 2024 but could not take the title down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

Despite McLaren overtaking Red Bull in the pecking order, Norris failed to capitalise on having superior machinery.

Speaking on a BBC podcast, Norris was open about how he struggled with confidence in the past - something he's overcome recently.

“Confidence is something I’ve struggled with in the past,” he said.

“And probably I’ve only built enough up throughout this season to go ‘I’m confident that I’m a good enough driver to win a championship next year’ and I can bring a fight to whoever wants to fight me for it.”

Norris has learned from his mistakes

Norris’ failed title bid wasn’t entirely his fault, though.

Poor strategy decisions from McLaren in Canada and Britain cost him likely victories.

In Canada, McLaren didn't pre-empt the Safety Car when he was leading the race.

At Silverstone, McLaren followed Lewis Hamilton and put him on the softs, when the more durable rubber was the way to go.

However, his race craft against Verstappen in Austria, then poor starts in Hungary and Italy, meant he couldn’t further reduce the Dutchman’s lead.

Reflecting on losing any hope of the title last year, Norris said: “When that realisation kind of sets in of ‘it’s gone’, it’s a tough one. This is what I’ve done since I was a kid, this is all I want to do. So, as soon as that kind of candle is gone and it’s over, it hurts.”

“However, Norris remains proud of how he performed during the 2024 season and is looking forward to taking the lessons learned into 2025. It’s been a year where, actually, I’ve been pretty proud of my performance. Proud of performing under the pressure that we’ve been under, delivering when I have.

“I’ve made my mistakes and, at the same time, I’ve learned a lot from those mistakes. So for us to go into next year, going ‘we have what it takes, we have a car’... I believe I’m a good enough driver and I’ve got everything it takes.

“I’m excited to go into 2025 knowing I’ve learned a lot, I’ve improved a lot and I’m ready to bring the fight to everyone.”