Doubts over Norris' title chances: 'He was a bit naive against Verstappen'
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- Ludo van Denderen
For the first time in his career, Lando Norris fought for the drivers' title in Formula One. After a hard-fought battle with Max Verstappen, the Briton finished in P2 in the final standings. According to former team principal Guenther Steiner, Norris must change his attitude if he wants to defeat both Verstappen and Oscar Piastri next season.
For some time during the season, Steiner thought Lando Norris could be crowned as champion in the 2024 season, given McLaren's pace. However, Max Verstappen could keep his lead in the standings, thanks to performing well in many duels against the Briton.
Revisiting Norris' season in the Red Flags podcast, Steiner says: "He was a little bit naive going racing, like, ‘this will be all good’. No, nothing will be good because Max will be fighting. Max fights you to death to win something, as he told George Russell. Apparently, I wasn't there," the former team principal began.
'Friction between Norris and Verstappen necessary'
Steiner expects and hopes Norris has learned a lot from the 2024 According to the former Haas F1 team principal, it is necessary for the British driver in '25 to regularly put his elbows out. "He still has to prove it. He said it, but he hasn't done it. And to do it, what you need to do, you will have some friction with somebody. Can he do it or not? Does he want to do that? I don't know," Steiner said, thus referring to potential conflict with drivers like Verstappen, as the two get along well on the grid.
Steiner also sees that Norris will not only have another hard-fought battle with Verstappen, but also with Oscar Piastri, who also aims to be the quicker driver at McLaren. "We need to see where this goes. But what is for sure, that Oscar Piastri in the same car will not be sitting there waiting that Lando wins a world championship."
Steiner expects McLaren not to have a number one driver at the beginning of the year, but as the season progresses, they might need to make a decision. "They could come in the middle of the year if one is leading and they need to fight for it. But I'm pretty sure that Oscar Piastri wants to be that guy as well. So the first half of the season, his biggest enemy will be his own teammate, which you cannot push off the track, but you need to beat him," he concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sárközi
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