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The F1 pre-season test in Bahrain left a lot of pundits with a view of anointing Lando Norris as the favorite to win the championship. The three days of testing were very interesting because they showed that while the midfield teams have made significant improvements in the last 12 months, there's still scope at the front.
In the surprisingly cold conditions of Bahrain, it became clear very early that McLaren arguably had the best car on the grid in those conditions. The car looked handful quite a few times on the track, but every time your eye turned to the stopwatch in the long run, you saw the orange machine leading the way.
By the end of the pre-season test, it was almost a unanimous verdict that McLaren was leading the chasing pack. With that said, there are still a few reasons why Lando Norris might not be considered the championship favorite heading into the season. Here's why.
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#1 The conditions were not entirely representative
If we go through the transcripts of the first statement every team principal or driver made after the F1 pre-season test, there's a common theme as all of them point out how the conditions were not truly representative. The temperatures were severely cold on all three days, and to the surprise of many, we had rain in Bahrain.
These were not necessarily the best conditions, if we are to judge car performance, as we have seen last season that car performance can vary a lot depending on the temperatures. The best example was arguably the race in Las Vegas, where out of the blue the Mercedes just woke up and became this unbeatable force because it could work its tires better in those conditions.
#2 The gap between the top 4 teams not expected to be huge
The second key point that we need to keep in mind is that even though there is a lack of clarity on where each car is going to find itself, we can rest assured that the gaps between these teams are not going to be huge. Unless McLaren does come into the first race of the season with a 3-4 tenths gap over the second fastest car, we're looking at a gap that would continue to shift as the season evolves.
When something like this happens, other factors come into play as well. They are consistency, operational acumen, and, most importantly, how much a driver could make a difference. From Miami onwards, McLaren arguably has had the fastest car on the grid overall, but if we look at the points that Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc secured from that point, there's not much to choose from.
The 2025 F1 season will see something similar, and what it will also do is arguably bring a fourth contender in George Russell into the mix. Norris is going to be one of the contenders for sure, but it's not a given by any means that he's going to run away with it.
#3 Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could both be contenders
Finally, something that has maybe not received enough attention when it comes to McLaren. It is the fact that there is a second driver on the team who is potentially one of the best in F1. Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri will only be competing in his third season in 2025, and the driver is a bit under the radar when it comes to being one of the contenders for the title.
There's little doubt that Norris was more impressive than Piastri in 2023 and 2024. The Australian has immense potential, especially for the kind of experience he has in the sport. Even if he doesn't become a contender this season, he's good enough to have a decent number of races where he could get the better of Norris.
McLaren is a team that was a bit notorious when it came to backing Norris early enough last season. You have to be ruthless when you have a title on the line. Unlike other contenders like Red Bull, the Woking-based squad has not shown it yet, and hence that could work against the British driver.
Norris left Bahrain with the perception of arguably having the best car with him. It would have been enough previously, but in the current set of regulations it's not going to be as straightforward as it seems.
