Lando Norris has acknowledged that the entire McLaren team has no “excuse” not to go on and win both championships during the upcoming 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
McLaren goes into the final season with the current regulations recognised as the side to beat having won the Constructors’ title in 2024 with the benchmark car in the MCL38.
The Woking-based squad has elected to go in an innovative direction with its 2025 challenger as it endeavours to capture the championship double that evaded its grasp.
Norris, who is regarded as the favourite to secure the Drivers’ crown, has vowed that McLaren’s approach will ensure it avoids the slow start that hindered his bid last season.
However, the Briton has admitted that has also guaranteed that he and the team will have nowhere “to hide” should it come up short in taking home the ultimate prizes.
Asked whether he is starting the season competing for the championship, Norris told media including Motorsport Week at the F1 75 season launch event: “I hope so for sure.
“After last year, I think we kind of have no excuses, I guess. In the past, we’ve had our fair share, but honest and true excuses. I think this year, we kind of don’t have anything to hide behind.
“We proved last year we have everything we need and everything it takes to fight at the top and be the best. If we’re not at the beginning of the season, then we’re just not good enough.
“But that’s certainly not how we’re thinking of things, that’s not how our mentality’s been.
“We ended the season, and I guess as we’ve ended the season, our next season has already started.
“For all the guys and girls back in the factories, giving us a car which can compete… a lot of what Formula 1 is is having a car that can compete.
“I think we both, as drivers, proved a lot last year in ourselves and in each other of what we’re capable of doing. And when we do have a car that’s capable of fighting for wins and championships, we’re able to maximise it.
“So I think we’ll probably both say we’re ready and we’re excited for that challenge.
“But we also have a whole team behind us who are also excited; they know they’re capable of making a quick car. So we’re excited for those challenges this season.
“Maybe in the past we got ahead of ourselves at times before pre-season, so we’re definitely not doing that.
“But we’re quietly confident that we can start the season off in the best way, much better than we’ve done over the last six, seven years.”
McLaren aiming to keep momentum going
Oscar Piastri, embarking on his third season in the sport, has concurred with his team-mate that McLaren is now going into a campaign with the ambition to win the title.
But while last season’s success has inspired optimism, the Australian has cautioned that McLaren’s prospects will also depend on the step the team’s opponents have made.
“I’m sure the preparation for both of us has been preparing for a World Championship fight,” he added. “I think it would be naive of us to go into the season preparing for anything less.
“I think that’s always the way you want to prepare things.
“But, of course, we’re never going to know what our competition is like until Melbourne. So that obviously dictates a lot of your performance for the season.
“But I think, like Lando said, we’re going with the confidence of the results and the Constructors’ Championship we achieved last season.
“So I think that’s definitely our aim and I think we’ve shown in the last two years, but especially the last 18 months, that we’ve been able to really turn our car around and make it the strongest on the grid.
“So I think we’ve got a lot of confidence in ourselves that we can keep that momentum going.
“Whether we are fighting for a championship or not depends a little bit on what everyone else brings to the table as well.
“But the preparation from everyone, including us as drivers, is going for a World Championship schedule.”
READ MORE – McLaren and Red Bull back Lewis Hamilton to be F1 title threat at Ferrari in 2025
