Peter Windsor concerned Lando Norris is ‘swallowing’ McLaren’s PR line after he lost out on F1 title

Lando Norris finished in the top three of the Formula 1 world championship for the first time in his career in 2024. Across his first five seasons in the sport, he never managed higher than sixth.

That meant an invite to the FIA prizegiving ceremony in Rwanda on Friday night. Max Verstappen was crowned world champion, but Norris and Charles Leclerc picked up trophies for P2 and P3.

Teammate Oscar Piastri was also in attendance, along with McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella, as McLaren collected the constructors’ trophy. It’s the first time they’ve won it since 1998.

Coming into 2024, Norris was taunted as ‘No-wins’ on social media, and he only had one pole position to his name. He ends the campaign with four victories, eight poles and a doubled podium tally (13 to 26).

But there were moments this year when he looked like a legitimate championship contender. After he won the Sprint at the Sao Paulo GP (Piastri moved over upon instruction from the pit wall), he closed the gap to 44 points with four races to go.

Norris started the Grand Prix on pole the following day, with Verstappen 17th on the grid after an engine penalty. But the Dutchman remarkably charged through to first, and Norris slipped to sixth, effectively ending the title race just when it threatened to ignite.

Peter Windsor says Lando Norris will accept McLaren view that 2024 was ‘fabulous’

Speaking on a YouTube live stream, former F1 team manager Peter Windsor criticised McLaren for painting 2024 as a ‘brilliant year’. They have may ended a title drought stretching back a quarter of a century, but he feels they missed an opportunity to win both championships.

McLaren were initially reluctant to impose a clear driver hierarchy despite Norris’ points advantage over Piastri. He had to let the Australian through for the win in Hungary after benefitting from an earlier pit stop.

Then, at Monza, Piastri’s aggressive move around the outside of his teammate on the opening lap demoted him to third behind eventual winner Charles Leclerc. It was only at the next race in Azerbaijan that McLaren fully committed to Norris’ title bid.

Windsor says it will be difficult for Norris to separate himself from the team’s PR-friendly narrative. And he ought to think in more ruthless terms if he wants to dethrone Verstappen next year.

“It’s very difficult for Lando now,” Windsor said. “He won’t be taking a 50-thousand-foot view of the 2024 season.

“He’ll basically be eating, drinking and swallowing the McLaren line, which is that ‘we had a brilliant year, we all worked together, we won the constructors’ championship, we took the drivers’ championship almost to the wire, what a fabulous thing’.

“Nobody at McLaren, I’m sure, will be saying ‘we really messed up here, because when Red Bull were down, we didn’t do anything like enough to take advantage of it’.”

Lando Norris beats Lewis Hamilton record to show he has what it takes for F1 title

Speaking on the team radio moments after his Abu Dhabi GP win, Norris said ‘next year’s my year’. It’s clear that he views the constructors’ win as only a partial triumph.

2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg was concerned by Norris’ radio message. He thinks it creates ‘unnecessary’ pressure ahead of the new season.

Norris did something Lewis Hamilton never managed at McLaren this year by scoring eight pole positions in a single campaign. That shows he has the one-lap pace required to be a champion.

He just needs to make small tweaks elsewhere. Windsor told Norris to stop being ‘Mr Corporate’ and focus solely on his racing.