Lando Norris Reflects on 2025 Season: Lessons Learned and Championship Aspirations

As the Formula 1 season prepares to resume in the Netherlands, McLaren driver Lando Norris has taken a candid look back at the initial half of the 2025 campaign. While maintaining he harbors "no regrets," Norris openly admitted there were specific instances he wishes he could revisit and alter, particularly as the championship battle intensifies.

Currently trailing his teammate Oscar Piastri by a slim margin, Norris understands the critical value of every point. He pointed to a crucial qualifying session where a lock-up at the final hairpin potentially cost him a pole position and a significant eight points. "I think my lap was good enough for pole until the final hairpin, where I locked up," Norris commented. "If I had that thought just before the braking, ‘It’s a long season, don’t try and be a hero’, then I wouldn’t have finished where I did. I lost eight points there."

Another pivotal moment Norris wishes he could re-evaluate was his collision with Piastri. "If I could re-run that and just be a little bit smarter and not take so much risk, could I have not lost quite a few points there? Yes," he stated, reflecting on the incident.

Despite these critical self-assessments, Norris adheres to a philosophy of extracting lessons from every experience, rather than dwelling on regret. "I wouldn’t say I regret those moments. Do I wish it changed, and do I wish it was better? Do I wish I could maybe do it again? Yeah. But at the same time, I don’t regret making those decisions at the time because I think that’s me, that’s life, and that’s the way it goes," he explained.

Norris candidly acknowledged that as his focus shifts towards a championship challenge, the art of risk management becomes increasingly vital. He highlighted the delicate balance between seizing opportunities and minimizing errors, especially when competing against rivals who might have less at stake. "That’s part of being a racing driver. You’ve got to understand who you can take risks with, who you can’t, when to take those risks and when not to," Norris added. "It’s also something that I think you have to understand a little bit more when you start fighting for a championship."

Looking back at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in the season, Norris expressed a desire for a different approach. "If I could go back and change what I did in China, not take that risk, I’d probably do it. So I wasn’t quite on top of everything and as thoughtful as what I probably needed to be at round two of the championship season, but I’ve learned from that and I make better decisions now.” This forward-looking perspective indicates a matured approach to his racing, aiming for more calculated decisions as the fight for the 2025 F1 title progresses.