Lando Norris In 2025: A Figure Of Perseverance and Determination

The year was 2024. The date was 23 November, 2025. The venue was the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The winning driver was George Russell, however, in the context of the season’s ultimate result, the winner was none other than Max Verstappen. He expressed sheer delight, as anyone would, upon clinching what was besides being a tremendously contested season, yet another world title. It was Red Bull everywhere. The Dutch driver set alight the city of dazzling lights with his dizzying talent, something evident thanks to 9 race wins. But there was also another driver, who despite not winning the Grand Prix, was all expressive, though partially sad, but completely passionate in what was asked of him in the race’s aftermath. A contest in which he managed no more than a P6 (sixth), finishing just behind his closest rival, Max Verstappen, the 2024 World Champion.

What was said in Vegas in 2024, didn’t stay in Vegas!

It reverberated around the world in 2025.

He would say, not long after Verstappen’s typically straightforward expression the following: “Next year, I will be world champion.” He actually did. If you don’t believe, you can ask Kimi Raikkonen and chances are, the former F1 driver would say the following, “Bwoah, who cares, I didn’t even see the whole thing!” Typical Iceman, no? Lol. Having said that, the person who confidently declared that the forthcoming season (i.e., 2025) would be bagged by him was none other than Lando Norris. He might have been irrational to some, back then, who may have been guilty of thinking that the young driver from the Papaya family would be shown the mirror by the Dutch driver in his dazzlingly fast Milton Keynes machine.

But to many others, he may have been the best man to bring home to England another driver’s title. Irrespective of what one may or may not have said about the 2025 season upon seeing Verstappen with another title, fact is that Lando Norris back then wasn’t bluffing. Now, a world champion and last year, akin to the best man in the wedding who was part of- but not the focal point- of the grand celebration, the Briton hung onto sheer self belief amid enormous pressure to clinch what is and will be a highly regarded drivers’ title.

And Lando Norris has earned it, hasn’t he?

He has brought glory to McLaren once again, and it’s been a long time coming. The last driver prior to Lando Norris in 2025 to have won a drivers’ title with McLaren was Lewis Hamilton. Circa 2008. But then, haven’t we all heard of the iconic Stella Artois ad campaign? The one that says, good things come to those who wait?

Norris, who saw Verstappen destroy his plans in 2024 and clinch what could so easily have been his title for the taking given how dominant and scintillating the Dutch driver usually is, didn’t give in. Not once.

On the contrary, Lando Norris was called names. His own teams’ fans, a global fanbase that’s as vivid as it is passionate, wanted him to lose.

Am I lying? Not that Oscar Piastri was any less- the Victorian from Australia was emphatic and cool for the most part of the season- but one would love to understand what was achieved by trolling the Briton?

Regardless, the Robert Zemeckis epic Forrest Gump had a line that perhaps avidly describes the keyboard warriors, whose entire existence on the planet is thanks to social media. And here’s what might be true for them:

“Stupid Is As Stupid Does!”

Having said that, let us pause ever so briefly to reflect on the following data that captures the magnanimity of effort that the 26-year-old Bristol-born put in 2025 to emerge with his brilliant Drivers’ title.