Lando Norris is “absolutely” ready to become F1 champion, reckons Mika Hakkinen

Former McLaren Formula 1 star Mika Hakkinen believes Lando Norris is “absolutely” ready to become a world champion this year.

Norris challenged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the drivers’ title in 2024 as the MCL38 became increasingly competitive in the second year of the year, but the Briton was ultimately no match to his rival who romped to a fourth consecutive title.

Many criticised Norris for making too many errors and for his failure to capitalise on Red Bull’s woes, and the McLaren driver himself admitted that he and his team simply didn’t do a “good enough” job last year.

However, Hakkinen, who scored both of his F1 titles with McLaren in the late 1990s, believes the issues Norris faced in 2024 were a part of his growth journey and he now has a stronger chance of taking the fight to an in-form Verstappen.

Asked if the 25-year-old is ready to become a champion after the events of 2024, Hakkinen told the Hindustan Times: “Absolutely, yes.

“Why? Because I experienced many years of racing without success, but it was part of my development to become a good racing driver.

“You have to maintain your criticism about yourself. That way you keep developing and pushing. That means you are taking risks.

“Lando experienced all these elements in his career. He’s been taking risks. He’s been critical of himself. He’s been pushing flat out.

“When you’re not world champion, when you’re working towards that goal, it requires a lot of mistakes and stress. I believe Lando is ready. He is flat-out ready to achieve his goal.”

Norris ultimately finished second in the F1 standings last year, 63 points down on Verstappen, after scoring a maiden win in Miami and clinching further victories at Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, McLaren lifted the constructors’ championship for the first time since Hakkinen led the Woking-based team to a title double in 1998.