Norris: 'Mentally I'm in a much better place than last season'

Lando Norris has revealed his “mentality” is in a strong place heading into the new Formula 1 season, but has avoided laying out McLaren’s expectations.

The 25-year-old had the best year of his F1 career in 2024, challenging Max Verstappen for the drivers' title. Norris enters the year as favourite to win his first title, despite ultimately falling short.

Norris more than proved last season that he could challenge for race wins and believes he is in a better place mentally now than he was 12 months ago.

“My mentality is great at the moment, I think it’s definitely different to where I was last year,” Norris said.

“Last year was a very good year for me, not only in terms of results but also in terms of mentality and approach.”

"You know, I've never been overly confident. I've always been honest. I'm usually someone who looks at the glass half empty, not half full. But I've always had things I wanted to prove to myself."

“Last year I proved to myself that I could compete against Max, win races, get pole in Abu Dhabi and get a good start,” he said.

Despite being the title favourite, Norris is trying to keep his expectations in check. While being the favourite comes with a lot of pressure, Norris is not showing any signs of nervousness. He wants to make a strong start to the season for both himself and McLaren, but he is avoiding setting expectations for a definite victory:

"I feel very comfortable, but that comfort means I'm focused and determined. I feel like I can keep things under control."

"I'm not too nervous, I'm not too carried away. I trust the team, but most importantly, I'm calm about everything. I'm excited, but I'm calm. I don't want to set big expectations, like 'We have to win the first race' or 'We have to do this'."

McLaren MCL39

Photo: Getty Images

"We showed last year what we can do. Of course, we don't want to start the season badly, but we want to start by doing everything right. That will affect the championship fight."

"But I still have the mindset of taking things step by step and the team feels the same way."