Lando Norris believes he'll have a shot at winning a race this year in F1, but the McLaren driver admits that fighting for the title likely won't be possible until 2025.
Norris is on the eve of his fifth season in F1, having made his debut with McLaren in 2019 and remained with the Woking-based outfit ever since.
And the Briton's tenure will extend until the end of 2025 as a result of the 23-year-old signing a new contract with team papaya in February of last year.
In 2021 Norris came close to snatching his first win, and he hopes that milestone moment will come in 2023. But with McLaren still in the process of building up its infrastructure, he's keeping his title ambitions in check until at least 2024, or 2025.
"With everything I’ve learned, maybe I could win a race, but I’m unlikely to win a championship until possibly that time," he told GQ magazine.
"I know I need to be at the absolute top of my game in those years."
As one of F1's brightest young talents along with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, Norris knows that his time will come.
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In the interim, he'll bide his time in F1, honing his skills and improving his knowledge while always demanding the most from himself despite his often-facetious demeanour.
"I think I’m a fair loser, but I’ve always been a guy who’s very harsh on myself, "he said.
"I’m very critical of my own performance. I always think, what could I have done better, and then, what could the team have done better?
"I love to listen. It might not be something I’m necessarily giving input on, but because I love racing, the more I can know about, that’s a good thing.
"I’m a perfectionist. I try as hard as I can to be a better driver.
"I hate losing. But losing gives me the drive to figure it out and do a better job next time."
McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown, who was instrumental in promoting the young gun to F1 in 2019, has witnessed up close Norris' development, not only as an F1 driver but also as an individual whose shyness is slowly but surely subsiding to make way for a more extravert and confident young man.
"I think we get the best out of him; he’s more talkative and engaged," Brown told GQ. "He’s able to let his hair down. It’s like family.
"He takes the things that he needs to take seriously, very seriously. But he also knows that we’re in a fun business, racing cars."
But as a driver, Norris' has also evolved to become a refined gem.
"He knows how to get the best out of a race car and put the car to its limits," added Brown.
"He’s also able to very articulately convey what that car is doing, because he has such a good feel for it; his technical feedback is excellent."
And the McLaren has no doubts about Norris' ability to deliver the goods.
"I think he’s got another ten to 15 years ahead of him," Brown concluded. "I think as long as we can get him a car, he’ll be a world champion."
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