It might not have been the year for Lando Norris, but he has everything he needs to come back stronger in 2025 against Max Verstappen.
The McLaren driver found himself at the receiving end of Verstappen’s ruthlessness on more than on occasion this year, after it emerged that the team had slashed Red Bull’s advantage they had enjoyed throughout the 2023 season.
Verstappen often takes an uncompromising approach to racing rivals on track, which has led to several rule changes over the years regarding certain moves including moving under braking and weaving in a straight line.
After the pair came to blows in Austria, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella pointed out that the stewards offered Verstappen too much leniency building up to the crash. Norris tried every move to get past Verstappen before attempting an unconventional one around the outside of Turn 4, leading to the contact.
Norris would later be fired off track at Austin while fighting for P4, then again at the following race in Mexico, although that time the stewards handed Verstappen two 10-second time penalties.
It is these incidents that have led to some believing Norris lacks the ruthlessness to take on Verstappen, something former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer thinks the Briton must work on over the winter break when discussing what he needs to do to beat the four-time world champion on the Chequered Flag podcast.
Jolyon Palmer tells Lando Norris to be more ruthless on track
Norris’ mistakes ultimately cost him a chance to snatch the title from Verstappen, but equally, he didn’t demonstrate the same fight as the Dutchman.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said his drivers will now race Verstappen differently next year, while Palmer thinks Norris needs a change of mentality if he wants to beat the Dutchman and avoid being ‘bullied’ as he has been on previous occasions this season.
“You love to see drama like that, but in all of them, it was very much kind of Lando being bullied by Max on the track. Austria there were numerous things, moving under braking, overtaking on the outside and finally the collision. Austin he [Verstappen] kept the place by going off the road and Mexico the two penalties,” said Palmer.
“I like to see Max is fighting so hard for the championship and he was so bullish, but at the same time you want Lando to stand up for himself. He did on the track he fought for it, but outside of it he’s very much falling down and accepting Max is great and he’s not at the level. If he wants to be champion next year, he needs to start with the mentality that he can beat this guy.”
Max Verstappen’s ruthlessness divides opinion in 2024
Verstappen’s ruthlessness is exactly why Red Bull sought to fast-track him to F1 when he was just in his second year of racing cars in 2014.
Even though he is driving with a more mature head compared to previous years, there is still elements of him taking no compromises to his rivals.
George Russell remarked how he ‘lost respect’ for Verstappen during a media frenzy in Abu Dhabi, following their spat during qualifying for the Qatar GP which resulted in a grid penalty for the Dutchman.
It is not the first time Russell and Verstappen have been caught up in an incident, notably at the 2022 Azerbaijan Sprint race when the Red Bull driver collided with the Briton which led to a post-race confrontation between the pair.
Verstappen’s approach is always going to divide opinion and will no doubt lead to him needing to adapt to fairer rules, but it is this exact nature that enables him to be among
