Rosberg: Norris raw speed ‘phenomenal’ but ‘inner demons’ persist

Lando Norris enjoyed a breakout year in 2024 that saw the McLaren driver cement himself as one of the sport’s top performers, but Nico Rosberg believes the Briton’s immense potential is still held back by “inner demons”.

Speaking on the Sky F1 Podcast, Rosberg described this year’s campaign in F1 – the third under the current regulations – as one of the most unpredictable and thrilling in recent memory.

Noting that seven drivers managed to secure multiple race wins, the 2016 F1 World Champion emphasized the excitement generated by the fluctuating dynamics among teams and drivers, which kept fans guessing race after race.

“It was such a thrilling season,” commented Rosberg. “We had seven multiple-race winners if I’m not mistaken.

“We went to every race and had no idea who was going to win. One time, it was Mercedes, once it was Ferrari, [then] McLaren and then Red Bull again.”

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Despite a strong start to the season, Max Verstappen faced increasing pressure from Norris as McLaren gained momentum.

Rosberg admitted that the Red Bull driver’s championship lead looked precarious at times, especially after the Dutchman no longer had the fastest car following the early stages of the season.

“Even the world championship was really wide open at one point, Verstappen was really scared that he was actually going to lose it,” he said.

“Since Imola, he didn’t have the fastest car anymore and Lando was flying.

“So it’s quite miraculous and really a testament to Verstappen’s brilliance that he really managed to carry this championship home and close it off so early.

“McLaren and Lando were just faster and stronger. So it was really phenomenal, that was exciting. We really thought it would go to the wire. So everything was just thrilling.”

Norris proved Verstappen’s most robust opponent, with the McLaren driver claiming his first career win in F1 in Miami, a triumph followed by three more victories in the back half of the season, at Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

“He has shown raw speed on a level that I would say with the best, so even with a Max Verstappen,” Rosberg said. “So the raw speed is there. It’s very phenomenal and is world champion-like."

However, Rosberg cautioned that Norris still has areas to improve to become a genuine title contender.

“Where we have still seen a little bit of issues for him is that he has some inner demons in his mind which results in the one or other mistake also,” added the former Mercedes driver.

“Like, the most notable was Singapore where he was leading by 20 seconds and two times he almost crashed out. Like that was to the extent of a bit strange.

“He has to work on that a little bit still to reduce the one or other mistake, which is an area where Piastri is stronger.

“Piastri is not as fast with his peak speed but he’s always consistent, always there, no mistakes. Lando, he’s the favourite for next year now to win the championship.”

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