Aston Martin man issues scathing assessment of Lando Norris’ 2025 performances, ‘getting worse and worse’

Lando Norris has emerged as a title contender in recent months. But costly errors have been hampering his quest to become a world champion.

The Brit was prioritised by McLaren in the second half of 2024 to challenge Max Verstappen for the title. Ultimately, despite having the fastest car on the grid, he was unsuccessful as several mistakes from Norris cost him dearly.

With McLaren having a clear advantage over the field in 2025, Norris was tipped as the favourite for the title. He could not have got off to a better start as he won the season opener in Melbourne from pole position.

But since then, mistakes have continued from the 25-year-old in qualifying and his racecraft. It took Norris until the Monaco GP to grab his second pole and win of the season, as his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri has established a clear advantage.

The Aussie has grabbed five wins and three pole positions, while Norris has struggled to maximise his MCL39 over one lap. Gary Anderson thinks Norris is becoming ‘complacent’ as he accuses the McLarens of easing off as they expect to win.

The pressure is beginning to mount on the Brit as his teammate pulls away in the drivers’ championship. Nico Rosberg thinks McLaren are worried about Norris after he heard his race engineer acting like a psychologist during the Canadian GP.

Aston Martin sim driver Daniel Juncadella says Lando Norris is ‘getting worse and worse’

The race in Montreal arguably saw the 25-year-old’s biggest mistake of the season. Norris crashed into Piastri as he tried to pass down the main straight on lap 67, forcing him to retire.

With the Aussie finishing fourth, Norris is now 22 points behind in the standings. Rosberg says Piastri is now the favourite for the title, as the Brit faces a huge challenge to beat his teammate.

As mistakes continue to persist for Norris, Aston Martin sim driver Daniel Juncadella has issued a scathing verdict on his performances. Speaking via the Nachez YouTube channel, the Spaniard omitted him from the top five best drivers on the grid, claiming he is ‘getting worse and worse’.

Juncadella named Verstappen, Piastri, Aston Martin man Fernando Alonso and Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in his top five, before he discussed the Brit: “Norris is another one I was also going to put in this five, but this last year, wow, I see him getting worse and worse.

“And on top of that, making mistakes like the other day, which also surprises me how self-critical he is, which I think is great that he is, but wow, the other day he makes a mistake and he almost says it before he’s even made it.”

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Does Lando Norris have what it takes to become the world champion in 2025?

With 14 races to go, Norris has plenty of time to salvage his season and take the fight to his teammate to win the title. However, it is clear that Piastri has the edge on the track and mentally.

Ralf Schumacher thinks McLaren watch Norris ‘too closely’ as he noticed his engineers constantly giving him instructions in Canada. Schumacher reckons Piastri is ‘internally’ being backed by McLaren to win the championship.

Jacques Villeneuve says being the ‘underdog’ will ‘help’ Norris, as the pressure will be off him. The Brit has admitted he puts too much pressure on himself to perform; this could be just what he needs to get back into the right headspace.

But some doubt if he can fight back and win the title. Robert Doornbos says Norris lacks Sebastian Vettel’s ‘magical touch’, which Piastri has proven he has in 2025 with his impressive performances.