Lando Norris reveals his approach to challenge Max Verstappen for the title in 2025

Lando Norris has made it clear that there would be a change in his approach when it comes to racing Max Verstappen, as he would be willing to get his elbows out. The 2024 F1 season was the first time the McLaren driver was in a title battle in his career.

He came up against Max Verstappen, a driver who's known to be very aggressive when it comes to his racing, be it while attacking or defending. At the start of the season, the Dutch driver had a clear advantage, and that meant he was able to open up a decent lead over the competition. This changed as the season progressed.

In Miami, when McLaren introduced its first major upgrade, Lando Norris won his first F1 race. From that point onwards, the Woking-based team started separating itself as the best on the grid, and as a result, Norris became the primary challenger for Max Verstappen.

This led to the Dutch driver realizing that his only realistic challenge for the title would come from Lando Norris, and hence, when it came to battling the Brit on the track, he was extra aggressive. With Norris trying to close down the championship lead, it put him on the back foot, and Max Verstappen capitalized on that.

In the end, it was Max Verstappen who clinched the title with a few races to spare. Looking ahead to 2025, Norris was looking forward to the challenge and admitted that he needs to get his elbows out. He told Sky Sports,

"I need to get my elbows out and I need to show him that I'm not going to willingly give him any positions, those kind of things. But I also have to be a smart driver. You have to be a smart driver to go up against Max. We saw it last year."

He added,

"I look forward to them. I like those moments when you have to make those quick decisions. It's always a lot harder when you're in the car than when you rewatch it after. Even when I see some things that I do, I'm like, 'what the hell have I done? What an idiot.'"

Lando Norris on not going overboard with Max Verstappen

The McLaren did, however, have a word of caution as well, where he said that he didn't just need to prove something to Max Verstappen. Lando Norris said that the best way to beat the Dutch driver is by being faster than him and then just staying ahead of him. If he can accomplish that, then there's nothing more he'd need to do. He said,

"But at the same time, I want to say that I don't need to go out and just prove something to him. I don't need to take any unnecessary risks and don't need to go down trying necessarily. I just keep focusing on myself. I don't think you have to do anything special to try and beat Max."

He added,

"He's quick, he's aggressive, he's one of the best ever. The easy way is just going out and being a bit quicker than him and staying ahead. That's the obvious plan. You've just got to be smart. That's the answer to it all. You have to be smart and you have to position the car well and also think of the long game sometimes."

Lando Norris ended the 2024 F1 season second in the championship to Max Verstappen. The driver would be eyeing what would be the next step in 2025 and becoming a world champion.