McLaren drivers prepared for ultra-close F1 season as Norris predicts race winners outside top four teams

Lando Norris reckons even more teams and drivers could be in the mix for Grand Prix victories during the 2025 campaign, adding to the recent front-running group of McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.

After Red Bull’s domination in 2022 and 2023, the aforementioned four teams all reached the top step of the podium last season, with wins for Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

In the build-up to the recent F1 75 Live event at London’s The O2 arena, Norris and Piastri were asked about talk that the upcoming term – amid stable technical regulations – could be one of the most competitive the championship has seen.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Oscar Piastri of — Norris and Piastri shared their thoughts during the F1 75 Live event in London last week

“I think it’s everyone’s expectation from within Formula 1,” said Norris. “Every year the rules don’t change, every time the regulations don’t change, it gets closer and closer – that’s just the way it’s always worked.

“It already got pretty close at the end of last year, and you already started to see the middle pack… well, most of the grid apart from the top four teams… the six other teams, you already started to see them catching up and getting closer and closer.

“I probably only expect that to be even more the case over the winter and probably into this season. I think you’re probably going to have this season some winners that aren’t McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull, which I think is good for F1 and is good for the fans.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to it, because I think it’s not going to be just a fight of the usual guys. It’s going to be a bit different this year… maybe not at the very beginning, but certainly through the season, we’ll see it shake up a little bit more.”

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Piastri echoed his team mate’s sentiments, with the Australian also stating that he expects “more of the same” when it comes to the pecking order changing from weekend to weekend.

“If you look at the back end of last season, with how many different winners from different teams there were, it’s all pointing toward a very tight season,” he commented.

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“Going from track to track, you’re not going to know… pretty much all of last year, we thought we would be in the mix for a win, but we didn’t really know who the main competitor was going to be, and it changed every weekend. I’m expecting more of the same.”

McLaren head into the new season looking to defend the Teams’ Championship, having ended a drought stretching back to 1998, while Verstappen is on the hunt for a fifth successive Drivers’ Championship.