Nico Rosberg feels “Lando Norris is the favorite for the next F1 season, but there are conditions”. Nico Rosberg explains how Lando Norris can become F1 world champion in 2025.

While Max Verstappen celebrated his fourth Championship under the lights of Las Vegas, nearby Lando Norris was nursing the wounds of a season thrown away. “Neither I nor the team were ready to fight for the Title,” the driver admitted shortly afterward, a candid statement following some media tensions. It’s undeniable that McLaren had the fastest car for much of the season but struggled to optimize the package, both in managing the drivers and through errors on the track. Now, the bar for next year is set very high.

“Lando has shown pure speed on par with the champions, I’d even say like Max’s. But he still has demons in his head that cause him issues here and there. The most striking example is Singapore, where he had a 20-second lead but nearly hit the wall twice. He needs to work on that because it’s an area where Oscar Piastri is stronger. The Australian might not be as fast, but he’s always there, doesn’t make mistakes, and is consistent. Still, Lando remains the favorite for the 2025 Championship: McLaren had the fastest car this year, he beat Oscar Piastri, and Max no longer has a supercar,” 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg explained on Sky Sport’s podcast.

The German also offered advice to the young Briton, as he sees much of himself in Lando Norris’s pessimistic tendencies: “I’d tell him not to dwell on being the favorite, or that failing to win would be a disaster. In Abu Dhabi, during the cooldown lap, he said next year is his, but I’d recommend not doing that because it triggers a toxic dynamic. If he wants to say it to himself privately, that’s fine, but he shouldn’t externalize it. A guy like Lando is never satisfied, battles with himself, and sees the glass half empty. I say this because I was the same way. He needs to take it race by race, which also eases some of the pressure.

The second piece of advice is to prepare like crazy, working on every physical and mental detail, because you never know when you’ll get another chance. He should spend a lot of time with the team, refining every millisecond.”