Lando Norris needs to make changes to become champion in 2025 (Image: Getty)
and are both targeting Drivers’ Championship titles in 2025, but many consider the favourite heading into the upcoming campaign.
The young Brit enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024, scoring four Grand Prix victories as clinched the Constructors’ Championship trophy for the first time since 1998. Norris will be well-poised to fight for the title if the Woking squad carry their advantage into the new season.
In doing so, he would shatter the dreams of Hamilton and Verstappen. The Brit is searching for a historic eighth Drivers’ Championship crown after the heartbreak of 2021, while his long-time rival seeks to emulate Michael Schumacher with a fifth successive title.
Norris undoubtedly has the speed to become a world champion, but he needs to improve in some key areas before he can do so. Express Sport looks at the Brit’s action plan for the 2025 campaign.
Race start consistency
Norris and Andrea Stella can argue as much as they like that his race-start struggles were blown out of proportion in 2024, but the fact remains simple – the Brit cost himself too many points with poor getaways from the line.
Norris cost himself points in Hungary and Barcelona with his getaways, and in Zandvoort, he was fortunate that the pace of the MCL38 nullified his slow start. The 25-year-old scored eight pole positions in 2024 – if he can match that tally in 2025, he needs to convert more into victories.
Verstappen proved a worthy adversary in 2024, but as Norris proved at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the four-time world champion will be rendered powerless if ’s golden boy can put distance between him on the opening lap.
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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both have title aspirations (Image: Getty)
Race management from the front
The Singapore Grand Prix was a mixed race for Norris. He crossed the line over 20 seconds clear of Verstappen but had two significant near-misses with the unforgiving Marina Bay Circuit walls.
Norris locked up on the approach to Turn 14, slightly overshooting the corner and clipping his front wing. He was desperately fortunate to avoid more significant contact. Then, he brushed the wall at Turn 10, evoking memories of ’s heartbreaking DNF in 2023.
Both mistakes came under minimal pressure, with his closest rival over 20 seconds back. With as many as four teams hoping to fight for regular race victories in 2025, Norris cannot risk throwing away points from winning positions if he is to become a world champion.
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Dominate on home turf
For Oscar Piastri, 2024 was also a breakout year. The Australian scored his first two Grand Prix victories, the latter of which came with a sensational defensive drive to hold off Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan.
However, Piastri was often forced to play second fiddle to Norris, even before team orders were introduced to help the Brit in his fight against Verstappen. The Australian’s cool-headed approach kept him largely out of trouble and delivered consistent top-10 finishes, but he lacked the raw pace to challenge his team-mate consistently and failed to take a single pole position.
Despite his sophomore-year deficit, the 23-year-old has vowed to learn from his shortcomings and fight Norris for the title in 2025. This means ’s British star will need to reassert his dominance in Woking before he worries about external threats from , , and .