Lando Norris: "McLaren is the team to beat in 2025"

After an impressive win at the start of the season in Australia, Lando Norris is confident that McLaren has a great chance of winning the title in 2025. The team, which he is currently leading, is now in the favorite position, and Lando does not hide his enthusiasm for his performance, as well as the team's work, and he especially singles out his colleague Oscar Piastri.

Although he has always tended to be cautious about his title claims, after maintaining his lead over reigning champion Max Verstappen in Melbourne, this young driver is feeling more confident. McLaren was quite strong last season, and their return to the very top of the car was marked by winning the constructors' title, which was the first since 1998.

First steps towards the title

After finishing fifth in his career in Australia, Norris opened the season with a full 25 points, which is important for his fight for the championship. Qualifying was excellent, with McLaren's drivers taking the front row, and Norris was able to maintain his lead in the race, despite a late attack from Verstappen. 

Although the testing had been promising, Norris was aware that he and the team still had a lot of work to do. However, winning such a challenging race was a testament to their abilities.

"For us, McLaren are the favourites, we are the team that others have to beat," -McLaren driver said after the race. "To start the season like this, with a win, that's good enough, but to do it in conditions where it's easy to make a mistake - that's proof that we're on the right track."

However, Norris did not forget that he still had a lot of work to do. "If we think everything is fine, it will catch up with us. We have to stay focused."

Collaboration with Piastri

Lando also feels that McLaren's success is a good result of a strong driver line-up. Piastri, although new to the team, shows great potential, and Norris points out that the competition within the team contributes to better results. 

"We've got two drivers pushing each other – that's the key," Norris said, noting how together they took the extra speed out of the competition.