Lando Norris sends bullish message to Max Verstappen and co about F1 title
“I am in the best shape I’ve ever been - both physically and mentally. I think we are as well as a team. We have to be.”
Lando Norris feels well-equipped to win this year’s F1 world championship, declaring, “I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been”.
2024 was a landmark year for Norris, who finally became an F1 race winner at the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris led McLaren to their first F1 constructors’ title in 26 years, beating Ferrari by 14 points.
Despite the various highs, Norris and McLaren were still somewhat disappointed that they weren’t able to push Max Verstappen more for the title.
Verstappen won 7 of the opening 10 races - but McLaren were left to rue a number of missed opportunities, such as poor strategy choices or driver errors.
With F1’s technical regulations remaining stable over the winter, many expect McLaren to fight for both titles from the first race in Australia.
Speaking on ITV show This Morning, Norris explained why he’s quietly confident heading into the new season.
“I think I proved to myself last year. I have always been a guy who… I never want to believe in the hype of things. I am always a seeing is believing kind of guy, especially when it comes to things I am doing personally.
“Proving to myself last year that I can go and win races, I can go and dominate a weekend and I can fight against the best in the world. I needed to prove to myself that I was capable of doing that and I did that last year. I am definitely not saying I did it perfectly. I definitely made mistakes.
“I made my fair share of mistakes and errors but I am happier that I did it last year and I can come into this year confident. I would say I am confident which is a rare thing for me to be.
“Definitely not over-confident. I am in the best shape I’ve ever been - both physically and mentally. I think we are as well as a team. We have to be. The expectation is there but the determination is also there. I am relaxed. I am excited. Quietly confident too.”
Is Norris the favourite in 2025?
According to a number of bookmarkers, Norris is the favourite to win this year’s F1 world championship.
Norris ended the year strongly with commanding wins in Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
His raw pace cannot be questioned as he kept Oscar Piastri at arm’s length throughout the year.
Norris will need to show more aggression when wheel-to-wheel against the likes of Verstappen, while he needs to be more assured on the opening lap to maintain his strong qualifying positions.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
