Former McLaren driver Mark Blundell believes Lando Norris will come up short in his battle with Max Verstappen - but it’ll be his title to lose in 2025, predicting that Red Bull will be the 'biggest losers' next year.
A thrilling F1 season is shaping up to have a climax to match with just four races - and two sprints - remaining.
Only 47 points separate Norris in second and Verstappen in first, with the former showing superior pace of late. It remains to be seen if it’s just too little, too late for the 24-year-old Brit this time around.
But Blundell, 58, believes his former team will surpass their championship rivals in the new year, which is when the pressure will be on for Norris.
“I'm probably going to put my neck out and I'm actually going to go Verstappen and Red Bull to be the biggest losers in the ‘25 season,” he told Express Sport, via AceOdds.
“And I'm going to go Norris and McLaren to be the biggest gainers. I think there's going to be too big a void to fill in the short space of time for Red Bull, seeing where they're already at with their performance levels because they've definitely been eroded by others.
“I'm hopeful that McLaren would have learned enough to actually take the next step and then be the car that's the one to beat across the season. And then it's down to Norris to get the job done.”
Questions have been raised about Norris’ killer instincts, most notably by Red Bull chief Helmut Marko who aimed a dig at the Brit by claiming Red Bull are lucky it isn't Lewis Hamilton driving the McLaren.
However, Blundell doesn’t think it’s a shortcoming on Norris’ part but rather nous that both he and his team can only acquire from being in contention. And regardless of this season’s result, it's put them in great stead for next year.
He continued: “I think there are still some areas where there needs to be some improvement, but relevant to experience, and I say experience respectfully within the environment of being able to win the championship.
And I think Max obviously has had the car around him and the team support to be able to do that on a more consistent basis and Lando and McLaren are just growing back into that.
“The one factor for me is I think Lando needs to be just a little bit more aggressive on the circuit. That’s just a case of making sure that doors get closed and making sure that there's a little bit more authority stamped on the situation.
I think that's the only way that you'll give Max the signals that he needs to read to know that Lando means business.”
