Lando Norris has admitted McLaren must strive to avoid making race wins “as difficult as they were last year” to claim the Formula 1 title double that it covets in 2025.
McLaren clinched the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998 last term as Norris prevailing at the season finale in Abu Dhabi saw it edge out Ferrari.
However, the Woking-based squad was made look back upon what could have been as numerous mistakes allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to retain the Drivers’ title.
Despite enduring a 10-race drought amid Red Bull’s mid-season dip, the Dutchman sealed the deal with two rounds to spare, ending proceedings 63 points above Norris.
Norris’ maiden win at the fifth round in Miami marked a crucial turning point in the season as it coincided with upgrades that turned the MCL38 into the benchmark car.
But Norris and McLaren were unable to capitalise upon that as driver errors and strategic mishaps ensured that Verstappen maintained his earlier-season advantage.
The Briton has conceded that vital to McLaren realising its ambitions in the upcoming campaign is to make attaining victories more straightforward than 2024.
“I think one thing we’ve realised as a team is now we’re there [at the front] we want to make it easy for ourselves,” Norris said in a video interview with McLaren sponsor Mastercard at the World Economic Forum. “We want to keep going so that we can win easily these races and not have them as difficult as they were last year.”
McLaren digging even deeper in 2025
But with the leading quartet all trading wins in the last five races setting up an intriguing battle going into 2025, Norris’ wish might not materialise as simply as he desires.
Norris, though, has insisted that McLaren is not resting on its laurels, citing that the team’s success has prompted it to dig even deeper to ensure that it remains at the top.
“So the team have remained very focussed,” he revealed.” It was easy for all of them to get back and just go ‘we’re good, we’ve done it now, let’s just relax’.
“They’ve done the opposite. They’ve gone ‘we want even more’ and they’ve worked even harder to try and find new things for this year.
“So I think they’ve turned these expectations into positive things, into more motivation and more drive to want it again.”
Having now experienced the pressures associated with a championship duel, Norris has expressed that he is eager to become champion along with McLaren this season.
“For myself, as much as I want to win the Constructors every single year, I also want that selfish one, to win the Drivers’ Championship,” he highlighted.
“You need a good team behind you and I think that’s exactly what I’ve got.
“I came close-ish last year. I was still always a bit far behind, but I could smell it. I had that feeling of like, ‘okay, this is kind of what it’s like’.”
Norris has indicated that he is aware of the areas he must improve upon to mount a stronger bid should McLaren equip him with the package to be in title contention again.
He added: “It [the title in 2024] was within reach. This year I need to fix a few things, work on some things and come back stronger and that’s what I’m ready to do.”
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