Lando Norris: "No excuses, nothing to hide behind" for McLaren
“I think after last year we have no excuses”
168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris says he and McLaren “have nothing to hide behind” in 2025 as both are expected to be 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Formula 1 title contenders from the off this season.
McLaren scored its first constructors’ championship victory since 1998 last season, while Norris pushed 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen in the second half of the campaign for the🍎 drivers’ title - though came up 63 points short.
Having ended the year with the best car, expectations are for both Norris and McLaren to be🌞 favourite for both championships in 2025.
ꦐGiven w🙈hat it achieved last year, Norris agrees that there are now “no excuses” not to be title fighters from round one.
“I hope so, for sure,” he said when asked on Tuesday a🤪head of the F1 75 launch in London if he and McLaren were favourites for the championship.
“I think after last year we have no excuse𒐪s, I guess. In the past we’ve had our fair share, but honest and true I think this year we have nothing to hide behind.
“We proved last year we ha🔯ve everything we need and everything it takes to fight at the top and be the best.
“If we’re not at 🌸t🐼he beginning of the season we’re just not good enough and we’ve not done a good enough job.
“That’s certainly not how we’🦄re thinking, that’s not where are mentality has b💖een.
“We ended the season and I guess as we ended the season 🦂our next season started for all the guys and girls back at the faܫctory giving us a car with which we can compete.
“All of what For🔴mula🐷 1 is, is having a car that can compete.
“I think we both as drivers proved a lot last ౠyear in ourselves and in each other of what we are capable of doing, and when we do have a car that’s capable of fighting for wins and championships we’r🌟e able to maximise it.
“So, I think we’d probably both🏅 say we’re ready and excited for that challenge. But we also have a whole team behind us who are also excited.
“They know they are capable of making a quick car, so we’re excited forꦅ those challenges this season.
“Maybe in t💮he past we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves in the p꧃re-season, so we’re definitely not doing that.
“But we’re quietly confident we can start the season off in the best way, much be🐭tter than we’ve done of the last six, seven years.”
Lando Norris: McLaren are 'underdogs'
Norris says McLaren still wants to consider itself “underdogs”, but has no problem with the added pressure being placed on his shoulders as a ti💃tle favourite.
“I mean, as much as we want to believe that we’re the best, I guess we still want to feel like we’re underdogs,” he ad🍃ded.
“We have a lot to fight for and tr❀y to improve every minute of every day. And of course, there’s goingඣ to be more pressure.
“There’s more pressure on the whole team and I guess every individual in the t𝕴eam - there’s over 1000 people.
“Everyone’s going to be thinking it: ‘we did it last year, there’s going to be more eyes on🌠 us, more expectation on every single one of us’.
“I’m sure they’ve thought of what else can they do to improve🃏ꦯ because they don’t want to be the person that doesn’t add that half a tenth, or 0.001s or 0.0002s even.
“So, everyone’s going to be feeling the pressure, but I think we all know it. We’ve acknowledged it, we’ve accꩲepted it - including myself.
“I know 😼coming into this season for a lot of people I’m the favourite, and as a t🦄eam we’re the favourites.
“A lot of peo🐲ple think pressure is a bad thing but for me it’s really the opposite. It’s a good thing.
“I’ve always done much better under pressure. I’m able to think and ♌focus much more under pressure.
“So, every🍨one has th𒁃eir own way of doing things. I still get nervous and have pressure, and I know it’s there.
“But my b🌠est performances have often come when♓ it is around. There are more eyes, more expectation on me to prove I’ve stepped it up again from where I did last year.
“I had a good year but it’s clear I꧑ needed to improve in many areas, especially in my ไfighting against Max.
“But I’m▨ not going to be fighting just Max🅰 this season; I’m going to be fighting this guy on my left [Oscar Piastri] and many other drivers.”
Quotes provided Crash F1 Editor Lewis Larkam
