Lando Norris finished a draining 2024 season on a high by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend. Norris was the class of the field throughout, converting pole position to help McLaren seal the constructors’ championship.
Norris’ pole was his eighth of the year, matching the tally of world champion Max Verstappen. The problem is that the McLaren driver hasn’t been ruthless enough in the races.
Lewis Hamilton has mocked Norris’ starts, which have been consistently poor when he’s lined up first, but he made a clean getaway at Yas Marina to set the tone for a controlled performance. He eventually finished just under six seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz.
With Oscar Piastri spinning at the first corner after a tangle with Verstappen, Norris was responsible for converting McLaren’s advantage. He had both Ferraris behind him but appeared unruffled as he brought home the team’s first crown since the late 1990s.
Had he been offered four race wins at the start of the year, he almost certainly would have taken it given Red Bull’s historic dominance in 2023. But he will look back at a series of missed opportunities over the winter.
Verstappen notched more wins than he did poles (nine vs eight), while Norris only managed half as many. That stat perhaps captures the decisive difference between the two.
Nico Rosberg feels Lando Norris shouldn’t have said ‘next year’s my year’ after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Even if Norris fails to win a world championship, he’s secured his place in F1 history. McLaren are one of the sport’s most iconic teams, and together with Piastri, he ended their painful drought.
But he still hasn’t achieved his ultimate ambition. And speaking on the team radio after the chequered flag, he said ‘next year’s going to be my year too’.
McLaren will enter the year as favourites given that there are minimal changes to the regulations. But 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg says Norris’ remarks will create ‘unnecessary pressure’.
It’s fine to be ‘internally’ bullish, he says, but he’d be wiser to downplay expectations in public. This was something Rosberg learned before besting Hamilton at Mercedes.
Rosberg told the Sky Sports F1 podcast: “In Abu Dhabi, on the cool-down lap, he said in the car ‘next year’s my year’. That’s something that I would actually recommend him not to do.
“Because it’s just an unnecessary pressure, expectation dynamic that you kick-off. If you want, do it internally, but especially not externally. That was one of the keys to me winning my world championship actually.”
Lando Norris’ message to Max Verstappen shows what he may have to change heading into 2025
Martin Brundle says Norris looks ‘extremely comfortable’ when leading a Grand Prix. Of his four wins, three were dominant, with his maiden triumph in Miami the only exception.
But next year’s title could hinge on the races where he faces more adversity. It’s easy to pick out several moments where he could have trimmed the eventual 63-point gap.
Norris thanked Verstappen on social media after he congratulated McLaren on Sunday. The two drivers seem to be on good terms despite their emerging on-track rivalry.
And perhaps that’s part of the problem. Norris needs to rattle Verstappen if he’s to end his four-year reign, even if that causes long-term damage to their relationship.
