Lando Norris may have fallen short in his 2024 championship bid against Max Verstappen, but the McLaren star has emerged from an his season with a pivotal realization: he has what it takes to win the world title.
McLaren's rise in competitiveness throughout the year allowed Norris to finally break his duck and seal his maiden Grand Prix win, a feat achieved in Miami back in back in May.
Three more victories followed over the course of a campaign that put him in contention for the world championship.
While Norris was ultimately unable to dethrone Verstappen, his performances sparked a newfound belief in himself, a confidence he admits he hasn’t always possessed.
“I definitely have had things to improve on and to look back on and try [to] correct and to improve. Nevertheless, I think the thing I’ve learned and I’ve gained the most this year is confidence in myself,” he said in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
“Sounds very simple, [but] I’ve just always been quite the opposite kind of guy, and I always find [that] I need to go out to prove it to myself before I want to start believing anything.
“This year, yeah I made some mistakes and I didn’t give a good enough fight to Max, but it was a good effort, and the one thing I’ve learned from [it is that] I have what it takes.
He added: “And that’s not an over-confident saying, that’s… I know I made my mistakes, I know what I’m capable of doing, and I know if I can improve on these things it’s definitely possible, so I’m excited.
“As much as I want this season now to end and I want to go have a holiday, I’m also really looking forward to next year.”
Norris pinpointed his wheel-to-wheel duels with Verstappen as key moments of growth. Although often challenging, these encounters helped him understand his potential and what he needs to refine.
“Honestly, it’s probably the harder moments which are the ones you learn the most [from],” he said. “So it’s kind of true what people say.
“But those harder times, my battles with Max, that kind of thing, certain other cases throughout the season…"
“I’ve definitely stepped it up at a good level this season. I obviously lost out on a few things, and there were maybe three starts this year which lost me one or two positions at times.
“But they were positions quite often just to Max, or it was Budapest and one to Oscar [Piastri] and little things like that."
Importantly, none of those moments undermined his self-belief.
“But none of them, when I look back on them, made me feel like, ‘well, I’ve not got what it takes’.
“Those moments only came when it was directly against Max. And it’s Max – going up against Max in any state is always going to be tricky, and no one has a nice time racing Max."
One pivotal moment came in Mexico, where Norris found himself reconsidering Verstappen's infallibility.
“I think Mexico was a bit of a turning point when it was proved that not everything he does is perfect,” he said.
“I think if we all go back to Austin and go back to Turn 12, the majority of – [or] almost everyone on the grid – as drivers and also externally, disagreed with the fact I got the penalty.
“We either both should not have got one or we both should have got one.”
Norris also highlighted improvements in his consistency and mental approach, particularly during high-pressure qualifying sessions.
“I think it's little cases along the way, but I certainly, from a pace point of view, have not doubted myself this year. And I think I've definitely given myself more faith,” he continued.
“When I look at qualifying, I remember 12 months ago here [in Abu Dhabi], I messed up my [Q3] lap, a lap that I should have done P2 when I had a big slide in [Turns] 12, 13.
“I was pretty annoyed with myself post quali, and that was what everyone spoke about then. But that's not really happened this year.
“I've closed off my quali laps. I've improved in all those areas. And it was more just that toe-to-toe fight, with one of the best in the world.”
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However, he admitted that there were moments where he had to concede battles to avoid greater risks.
“The thing is, what you don't see on the outside are some of those moments where if I did certain things, we would have crashed.
“People on the outside have no idea on what it takes and those moments where you accept losing a battle, and that is the case.
“And that was because of where we were in the first six, seven races of the year. We lost too many points, and I was just in that position where I couldn't gain as much as what I needed to and wanted to.
Norris’s reflections are tempered with realism but also optimism. While 2024 highlighted areas for improvement, it also solidified his belief in his potential to contend for a championship.
“I’m not using any of these as excuses,” he made clear; “I’m saying I didn’t have what it took this season to fight against Max and deliver what I needed to deliver.
“But it certainly gave me the feeling of, ‘okay, if I improve this little bit here, this little bit here,’ for the first time, I have confidence in saying I’ve definitely got what it takes.”
With newfound confidence and lessons learned, Norris is ready to chase even greater heights in 2025. For the McLaren star, the 2024 season may well have been the catalyst for something extraordinary.
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