F1 News
Norris warns the rest of the grid: "Ready to bring the fight to everyone"
Lando Norris knows that there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders going into the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Brit will go into the season hoping to help McLaren defend the Constructors' Championship title they won at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but will also be hoping to go one better in the Drivers' Championship and take the title. To do that, the 25-year-old warns the grid, saying he is "ready to bring the fight to everyone."
The 2024 season was a bit of a surprise for Norris and McLaren, racing to the front of the grid when many expected them to be far behind the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. However, after the Miami Grand Prix, Norris' first-ever victory in F1, it was clear the Britsh driver and team had the pace to challenge for titles. In the middle of the season, it was clear the papaya-coloured car was the team to beat, but Norris could not make it count on multiple occasions, while Max Verstappen also drove some sublime races to keep him ahead in the drivers' standings.
The Dutchman's stunning drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix all but sealed the title, with Norris just falling short due to some disappointing results. However, he was able to put that all behind him at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a fantastic drive of his own sealing the constructors' title for McLaren, leading from the front and taking victory after his teammate Oscar Piastri spun out on lap 1 and could only finish P10.
Norris "learned a lot" from 2024
Now, with the title-winning race under his belt, along with getting the taste of a drivers' championship battle, Norris is well and truly ready for the 2025 season: "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," the Brit said in a conversation with the BBC.
"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. Confidence is something I've struggled with in the past, 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 on the "hurt" of 2024
But for Norris, there is still a bit of him that looks back on the 2024 season with disappointment after missing out on the drivers' title to Verstappen. In that title-defining race in Brazil, the Dutchman drove a sublime race in the wet, coming from P17 to win, while Norris could only finish in P6 after starting on pole.
"When that realisation kind of sets in of, 'It's gone', it's a tough one," continued Norris. "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.
"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," concluded the Brit.
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