Strong attack on rivals: Lando Norris and McLaren impressively confident ahead of Australian GP. Lando Norris is more charged up than ever ahead of Australian GP.

The Formula 1 season is just around the corner. After months of downtime, the Power Units are finally firing up again. The action returns on Friday, March 14, with the first free practice session. Lando Norris arrives in Australia, at the Albert Park circuit, more motivated than ever, fully confident in the performance of his McLaren. The British driver, number 4, is challenging all his direct rivals. Will he be able to win his first world title?

McLaren is undoubtedly the team that emerged best from the 2024 season. After some difficulties in the first Grands Prix, the Woking engineers introduced significant upgrades that refined the car. Since the Miami GP, they surpassed Ferrari and became the main challengers to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. By the end of the year, the battle with the Maranello team was more exciting than ever.

For the first time since 1999 with Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, McLaren has returned to winning the Constructors’ Championship. Given what they showed on track, especially with Norris’s performance in Abu Dhabi, the Papaya team can only start 2025 on the right foot. The MCL39 is an almost extreme evolution of the previous project—a major risk taken by the British engineers.

But the risk, it seems, has paid off. During the three days of testing at the Bahrain circuit last week, the car performed flawlessly. Very few corrections were needed, except on day three due to strong winds, with a very fast and consistent pace and excellent tire management. The car ran like it was on rails. Both Oscar Piastri and, especially, Lando Norris have shown they are more than ready for the start of the 2025 season.

However, the situation will not be the same as in testing. The transition from the Arabian desert to Australia means a completely different circuit—urban, with different corners and opposite temperatures. Despite this, Norris remains confident and, in an interview, issued a challenge to his rivals: “Last year in Australia, we were fast, and Melbourne is a very favorable circuit for us. We have proven to have one of the best cars, if not the best overall. Even though that GP came very early in the season, looking at the performance of the car we have improved over the months, it was very positive.”