Norris vows to “get my elbows out” with Verstappen in F1 2025 title challenge

Lando Norris has said starting a new Formula 1 campaign on equal footing with Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen will change how aggressively he can race the Dutchman.

Norris mounted an unlikely title bid last year after McLaren started the season significantly worse than Red Bull, but a comprehensive Miami upgrade turned around the papaya squad’s fortunes and transformed the MCL38 into the best car on average from May onwards.

As McLaren rose to the top to beat Ferrari to the constructors’ crown, Verstappen and Red Bull suffered a 10-race winless streak crippled by car balance woes, but by that time the Dutchman had already amassed such a sizeable lead in the drivers’ championship that Norris’ outside title bid was relying on a faultless romp until the end of the year.

Instead, Norris lost costly points on several occasions in his battle with Verstappen, whose outstanding Brazilian Grand Prix win further cemented a fourth title that was wrapped up with two races to spare.

According to Norris, having to overcome a large points deficit also affected how he and Verstappen raced each other, with the Red Bull man much more aggressive than the Briton – safe in the knowledge that Norris desperately needed to see the finish line and bank points much more than he did.

That attitude difference first emerged when the pair came to blows in the Austrian Grand Prix as Norris attacked Verstappen for the lead, with the resulting contact forcing the McLaren driver into retirement while Verstappen finished fifth.

They then battled on in Austin and Mexico, where Verstappen shoved Norris off the road and appeared happy enough to take a time penalty while Norris lost crucial track position to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, an incident which ended up costing him a chance to fight Carlos Sainz for a valuable win.

“With how [Verstappen] drives and the risks that he takes and the aggressiveness that he has, there was almost no way that I could come back from the deficit that I had,” Norris reflected as McLaren launched its MCL39 at Silverstone. “Because there would have been too many scenarios that replicated Mexico or replicated the Red Bull Ring – that kind of thing where we were both out in a way and that benefited him more than it benefited me.”

If McLaren manages to end its run of early season woes and start 2025 where it left off last year, Norris will not have to mount such a dramatic fightback this time around.

Starting on relatively equal footing in a competitive car would mean he could race Verstappen as aggressively as his rival has raced him, rather than Norris having to walk on eggshells not to waste chances to claw back points against the reigning, four-time world champion.

“The main thing is just starting off on the right foot, which changes the mentality of every driver,” Norris said. “It would be [a different] mentality for Max if he’s 50 points behind versus 50 points ahead. That’s the biggest key difference.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, battles with Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

However, those peculiar 2024 championship circumstances are no excuse for Norris to shy away from the fact that Verstappen had his number more often than not when they went toe to toe, with Norris admitting he “wasn’t at the level that I need to be” racing his infamously fierce rival.

“It was a tough year, but I learned a lot from those moments,” the 25-year-old said. “There’s definitely things I need to do better. I’ll always be the first to admit it – I don’t need people telling me this kind of thing, [as] I have people that help me through these situations and advise me.

“Definitely, Texas Turn 1 up the hill [where Norris left the door open on the inside for Verstappen] was just poor on my behalf. I know that better than anyone else. There are definitely things I need to tighten up on and improvements that I’ve got to make and I feel I already at the end of last year improved on those situations.

“I know I wasn’t at the level that I needed to be when I first went into those battles with Max – that was clear. And I take that on the chin. It hurts. It’s always going to hurt when you’re mixing it at times and you don’t come out on top.

“That’s the way it is in life sometimes. As long as I learn and don’t make them [mistakes] multiple times, that’s the way it is and I need to do a better job.”

When asked if he needs to make a point to Verstappen as they inevitably rub shoulders in 2025, he replied: “I need to get my elbows out and I need to show him that I’m not going to willingly give him positions – those kinds of things.

“But I just have to be a smart driver. You have to be a smart driver to go up against Max. I look forward to it.”