Lando Norris: "No excuses, nothing to hide behind" for McLaren
“I think after last year we have no excuses”
Lando Norris says he and McLaren “have nothing to hide behind” in 2025 as both are expected to be Formula 1 title contenders from the off this season.
McLaren scored its first constructors’ championship victory since 1998 last season, while Norris pushed Max Verstappen in the second half of the campaign for the drivers’ title - though came up 63 points short.
Having ended the year with the best car, expectations are for both Norris and McLaren to be favourite for both championships in 2025.
Given what it achieved last year, Norris agrees that there are now “no excuses” not to be title fighters from round one.
“I hope so, for sure,” he said when asked on Tuesday ahead of the F1 75 launch in London if he and McLaren were favourites for the championship.
“I think after last year we have no excuses, I guess. In the past we’ve had our fair share, but honest and true I think this year 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 at the beginning of the season we’re just not good enough and we’ve not done a good enough job.
“That’s certainly not how we’re thinking, that’s not where are mentality has been.
“We ended the season and I guess as we ended the season our next season started for all the guys and girls back at the factory giving us a car with which we can compete.
“All 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 are capable of doing, and when we do have a car that’s capable of fighting for wins and championships we’re able to maximise it.
“So, I think we’d probably both say we’re ready and excited for that challenge. But we also have a whole team behind us who are also excited.
“They know they are capable of making a quick car, so we’re excited for those challenges this season.
“Maybe in the past we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves in the pre-season, so we’re definitely not doing that.
“But we’re quietly confident we can start the season off in the best way, much better than we’ve done of the last six, seven years.”
Lando Norris: McLaren are 'underdogs'
Norris says McLaren still wants to consider itself “underdogs”, but has no problem with the added pressure being placed on his shoulders as a title favourite.
“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.
“A lot of people think pressure is a bad thing but for me it’s really the opposite. 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.”
Quotes provided Crash F1 Editor Lewis Larkam
