Lando Norris has voiced his confidence that he can “bring the fight to everyone” in 2025, with the Briton stating that he has learned from mistakes made during his title bid last year as he looks to battle for the championship in the season ahead.
After a dominant start to 2024 for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, McLaren made rapid progress as the campaign developed and put themselves in a position to challenge for both championships.
While Norris was ultimately unable to close the gap to Verstappen for the Drivers’ crown – with the Dutchman winning by 63 points – the team scored their first Constructors’ title since 1998, ending the year with a 14-point advantage over closest rivals Ferrari.
Reflecting back on those highs and lows, Norris admitted to BBC podcast F1: Back at Base that losing out on the World Championship to Verstappen was a difficult moment.
Norris lost out to Verstappen in the battle for the 2024 World Championship
“When that realisation kind of sets in of ‘it’s gone’, it’s a tough one,” the 25-year-old explained. “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.”
However, Norris remains proud of how he performed during the 2024 season and is looking forward to taking the lessons learned into 2025.
“It’s been a year where, actually, I’ve been pretty proud of my performance,” the four-time race winner said. “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. So 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.
How McLaren won the 2024 Constructors’ Championship
«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.”
Norris believes that an increase in his confidence is one of the key assets that he has developed during the past year, meaning that he now believes in his ability to become a World Champion.
«Confidence is something I’ve struggled with in the past,” he conceded. “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.»
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