For the first time in his Formula 1 career, McLaren driver Lando Norris was considered a championship challenger in 2024.
At the beginning of the year, McLaren looked like the best of the rest behind the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
However, an update package delivered at the Miami Grand Prix helped Lando Norris win the first race of his Formula 1 career.
He was aided by a well-timed safety car but suddenly Max Verstappen’s biggest rival was the young Brit, rather than Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen and Norris are friends away from the track, but that didn’t impact how they raced against each other this year.
The pair clashed in Austria, Austin and Mexico City, with Verstappen penalised twice and Norris handed a penalty at the United States Grand Prix.
Ultimately, Verstappen’s ability to fundamentally understand the current ruleset better than many of his rivals means he knows exactly where to place his car in head-to-head battles to either maintain his position or force his opponent off the track.
Damon Hill criticised Verstappen for his driving style, but he did exactly what he needed to do to avoid Norris ever getting within a race win of his points tally at any point during the campaign.
Flavio Briatore highlights Lando Norris problem in battles with Max Verstappen
One senior figure in Formula 1 who knows a lot about close battles is Flavio Briatore.
Briatore was speaking to Formule1.nl about this year’s championship battle and was then asked whether Norris would be Verstappen’s closest rival in 2025.
He said: “The problem for Norris compared to Verstappen this season was inexperience.
“He is still young, too young maybe even. Next year he might do better.
“At least this season’s experience can help then.”
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
Norris made his F1 debut in 2019 and has started 128 Grand Prix during his career.
In contrast, Verstappen made his debut four years earlier and passed the 200 Grand Prix mark towards the end of the 2024 campaign.
Lando Norris needs to cut out mistakes to put pressure on Max Verstappen next year
Although Verstappen won seven of the first ten races of the season, Norris had opportunities to close the gap in the Drivers’ Championship that he didn’t take.
Norris made several mistakes throughout the 2024 season and wasn’t helped by how competitive his teammate Oscar Piastri was at times.
Verstappen didn’t have that issue at Red Bull with Sergio Perez finishing nearly 300 points behind him by the time the campaign ended.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
McLaren had to make up ground throughout 2024 but that’s unlikely to be an issue next year.
The Woking-based team will be wary of Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes, but will be confident that when they travel to Australia for the opening race of next year, they should be in a position to immediately challenge for victories.
The grid has converged to such an extent that one mistake during qualifying could cost a driver several positions, meaning Norris will need to be as perfect as Verstappen has been throughout the last four years to stand any chance of ending his championship run.
