McLaren driver Lando Norris expects to get his ‘elbows out’ with Max Verstappen in 2025
McLaren ended a decades-long championship drought during the 2024 Formula 1 season, securing the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998.
On the Drivers’ Championship side of things, however, Lando Norris fell short in his pursuit of Max Verstappen, finishing 63 points behind the Red Bull driver. Their title fight included several on-track clashes, including incidents at the Austrian Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, and the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Speaking with Sky Sports as McLaren put their 2025 challenger, the MCL39, through a filming session at historic Silverstone Circuit Norris shared what he needs to do in 2025 as he eyes his first Drivers’ Championship.
It starts with a better start to the season.
“So, what’s the main thing that’s going to change this year? I just need more points from the beginning, and hopefully it’s the other way around,” said Norris.
“Being in his position you can always see as the vulnerable position, and me being kind of the chaser and the guy trying to attack can also be seen as a positive and negative,” added the McLaren driver.
“But with how he drives and the risks that he takes and the aggressiveness that he has, there was almost no way that I could come back from the deficit that I had, because there would have been too many scenarios that replicated Mexico or replicated Red Bull Ring, that kind of thing, where we were both out in the way. That probably benefited him more than it did me.”
Norris also admitted that trailing Verstappen in the standings gave the Red Bull driver an advantage not only in the points but on the track.
“I think coming from the points deficit that I have, even though the majority of the time we were quicker, and I had a better car for a lot of the races, those kind of things, which I can happily admit, there were some things where I just didn’t do a good enough job,” said Norris.
“I wasn’t simply quite at the level that I need to be to race against Max. But when we’re talking about that, we’re talking about probably going up against one of the hardest attacking-defense guys you can ever go up against.
“Like we saw in Mexico, and I don’t want to go through all these things again, but like we saw in Mexico, very willingly sacrificed himself for the benefit of the overall outcome,” continued Norris.
“And when that’s the mentality of a driver, whether it’s Max or any driver, that’s a very difficult one to ever come on top of when you’re 50 or 40 points behind in the championship, because it’s never going to be a win for me.”
The McLaren driver’s comments mirror what he had to say in the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix last fall. In that race Norris was hit with a penalty after one of his many on-track scraps with Verstappen, and after the race he was left searching for answers.
“The thing is with Max you’ve got to commit, but people don’t understand that kind of thing. With Max, you can’t just go half-hearted,” said Norris to the media, including SB Nation, immediately after last year’s United States Grand Prix.
“I think Max drove very well. It’s very hard to do what we’re doing.”
Another change Norris is looking to make this year? He is going to “get his elbows out” with Verstappen this season.
But there needs to be a balance in his approach, outlined the McLaren driver.
“I need to get my elbows out and I need to show him that I’m not going to willingly give him any positions, those kind of things. But I also have to be a smart driver. You have to be a smart driver to go up against Max. We saw it last year,” said Norris.
“I look forward to [the battles with Verstappen]. I like those moments when you have to make those quick decisions. It’s always a lot harder when you’re in the car than when you rewatch it after,” added Norris. “Even when I see some things that I do, I’m like, ‘what the hell have I done? What an idiot.’
“But at the same time, I want to say that I don’t need to go out and just prove something to him. I don’t need to take any unnecessary risks and don’t need to go down trying necessarily. I just keep focusing on myself,” continued Norris.
As for what it takes to beat Verstappen?
“I don’t think you have to do anything special to try and beat Max. He’s quick, he’s aggressive, he’s one of the best ever. The easy way is just going out and being a bit quicker than him and staying ahead,” said Norris. “That’s the obvious plan. You’ve just got to be smart. That’s the answer to it all.
“You have to be smart and you have to position the car well and also think of the long game sometimes.”
