It has been a surprisingly competitive Formula 1 season in 2024, despite Red Bull and Max Verstappen picking up where they left off last year.
The RB20 was a radical evolution of the dominant RB19 and while they initially had success, rival teams McLaren and Ferrari caught up.
The turning point for Lando Norris was his victory at the Miami Grand Prix, before taking several successive podiums and challenging for the win at the Austrian GP.
Norris battled on track with Verstappen after an uncharacteristically slow pit stop for Red Bull, but the Dutchman’s uncompromising approach to racing led to the pair making contact in the closing stages of the race.
The pair would later get caught up in other incidents on track at Austin and Mexico, while Norris would win races in the Netherlands, and Singapore and close out the season with a dominant performance in Abu Dhabi.
It was the first year Norris had a genuinely competitive car and while he made a few mistakes, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer thinks he is one of the biggest surprises of the year when writing his F1.com column.
Jolyon Palmer thinks Lando Norris is biggest surprise of the year
Palmer believes fans would have got ‘crazy odds’ if they bet on McLaren winning the Constructors’ Championship at the start of the season, and thinks Norris came into his own as the season progressed.
“McLaren developed their car better than anyone else in the front group. Every time they brought upgrades they seemed to make strides forward, and have down for two years now,” wrote Palmer.
“Norris had a chance to truly show his championship credentials and while he ultimately missed out on the driver’s title, I think he’s shown he’s got what it takes in the future.
“This is a driver who has comfortably led his team and delivered some consummate drives from the front. Hitting back from an 80 point deficit to Max is a tough ask mentally, but with everybody starting from zero next March, I wouldn’t rule Lando out in 2025.”
Can Lando Norris win the 2025 title?
Off the back of his dominant victory at his 128th race in Abu Dhabi, which sealed McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship title since 1998, Norris was tipped as the favourite among many pundits to take the 2025 title.
Martin Brundle thinks Norris can win his first title in 2025, while Nico Rosberg cast doubt and warned Norris not to brand 2025 ‘his year’ as he doesn’t know the competition yet.
McLaren will be the team to beat next season with a car that will likely be an evolution of the MCL38, before they switch focus to the 2026 rules at the end of January.
Norris will need to match his consistency next year to win the title, while McLaren CEO Zak Brown has told him and Piastri to race Verstappen differently after their incidents this year.
